ISDE 2010: The Belgians are preparing
The Belgian Six Day team left Zaventem for Mexico last week immediately after the BC final in Hautrage for the 85th edition of the ISDE. From Tuesday the boys started exploring. In total they had to explore six different Specials. These were covered at least twice each time on foot. All in all, the Belgian team walked about 60 km in two days! Mickael Despontin, who, in addition to being a driver of the Belgian Trophy team, is also an employee of our French-speaking sister site, explained some things.
Mickaël Despontin: “The hotel where we are staying with the Belgian team is about 2 kilometers from the paddock, but with the busy traffic in Morelia it takes us about 20 minutes each time to reach it. The first Special is barely half a kilometer from the paddock. It is a Special that is very reminiscent of the French classics: grass but with a hard surface, wide, fast with long curves and slight height differences. We are served this Special every day.”
“The rest of Wednesday was spent preparing the engines that had arrived in a container. On Thursday the riders were able to test their bikes on a number of designated circuits. Friday was entirely devoted to the administrative and technical inspection that always precedes the ISDE,” Despontin added.
Today, Saturday, is the traditional opening ceremony of these 85e edition of the International Six Days Enduro on the programme. This always happens with a parade in which all participating countries take part.
Tomorrow the riders will have one last day of rest. A rest day, which will probably be much needed because the hard work starts from Monday. The riders try to sleep as much as possible to get to the start fresh, although that is not always possible. The time difference bothers the Belgians considerably.
Mickaël Despontin: “I always wake up at 4am, which makes it difficult for me to recover. So far, getting up early hasn't had too many negative effects because we always get up as early as possible to avoid the greatest heat. However, from now on I have to try to sleep as much as possible because the competition will definitely be tough!”
Photo Credit: Team Belgium
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