Giollanni Sala
The legendary oR-road racer
lets his hair down
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JONTY EDMUNDS
I
t's not often that you get the chance to sit face
to face with one of the enduro world's most successful and respected riders. So when Giovanni
Sala agreed to let me spend the day with him prior
to his much-Iooked-forward-to midseason summer
holiday, I sWiftly took him up on his offer. What I
hadn't envisaged, however, was both of us having
hangovers.
"My head hurts because of the beer and my body
hurts because of the race," joked Sala, having only
hours earlier finished the arduous Extreme Lumezzane race and the even harder postrace party. "I
don't want to see another bike for a month."
Sala's willingness to talk openly and in depth
about pretty much anything he's asked is just one
of the reasons why he's become one of the enduro
world's most popular characters. Friendly,
approachable, and with a long list of titles to his
name, it's Sala's achievements during the '90s that
have seen him amass a loyal fan following. Claiming World Enduro Championships in '93, '94, '95,
'98 and '99; nine Italian Enduro titles - that's one
for every year since '93, and three overall ISDE
wins set him apart as one of the sport's very best.
Add to that the fact that he was a member of the
victorious Italian ISDE Trophy team in '92, '94, '97
and 2000, and the fact that he's now one of the
world's best rally raiders, and it's easy to see why
"Gentleman Gio" has become the well-liked and
respected figure that he is. It's also fair to say that
he's earned the right to let his hair down once in a
while.
Moming Glory
Starting our day in the only way many Italians
know how, with an espresso and a flick through the
pages of Gazette dello Sport, Sala quite unexpectedly decides to show me where he'll soon be living
in his attempt to get away from the "confusion and
pollution" of inner-city life in northern Italy. Allowing us plenty of time to chat, we head off into the
mountains above Bergamo to a small cluster of
buildings, many of which are only accessible by
foot. Chatting about a wide range of topics during
the 20-minute car ride, I listen with interest about
why he thinks there's been a decline in Italian
enduro talent in the World Enduro Championship in
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NOVEMBER 13, 2002 • e y e
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