Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128216
Mickael Pichon is in dominant form again this year So many peop e expected Stefan Everts and Joel Smets to hav he measure of Pichon this year, yet just as Lennox Lewis had to prove himself against the likes' f Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, Pichon has to beat Everts and Smets to get complete respect. "The first race of the season was pretty easy for me," Pichon said. "I went to Spain not 100-percent fit and expected a podium - a win - winning was not really something I thought about. You know everyone said that it would be tough, and I was not different. I expected Everts and Smets to be tough, and they were not. I saw when I began to push hard and I had no answer from the other guys - I was really surprised by that." STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER e's been called everything from a loose cannon to the most gifted rider on the Grand Prix Motocross scene. Mickael Pichon is to Grand Prix Motocross what Mike Tyson is to boxing, and while both these great sportsmen have lifted their respective sports to a new level, they have also turned up in the sports pages for some of the most bizarre antics. In America, Pichon is remembered for his dislike for training and his bitter end to what was a very successful U.S. career. In Europe, he is loved for his talent and adored by the French people. Complex or complete, take your pick. At press time, his Grand Prix victory tally sits at 28, placing him in 8th place in the all-time winners list for Grand Prix riders alongside five-time World Motocross Champion Georges Jobe and three-time winners Andre Malherbe and Paul Friedrichs. By season's end, he may have won as many Grands Prix as Roger DeCoster or Torsten Hallman, who have 36 and 37 wins, respectively. Pichon is approaching the greats of Grand Prix Motocross. 46 MAY 28, 2003' cue I EO n e vv One of the best tools Pichon has used in his career is his at times blistering lap speed. It's something many of the greats of the past have had, and its something five-time World Champion Eric Geboers feels gives him an advantage over his 2003 rivals. "I don't know too many riders who have his speed around the 10-minute mark of a Grand Prix," Geboers said. "He seems to be s able to turn a switch and pick up his pace by two seconds a lap. He does that for a few laps and then turns it down. He is very impressive in that department." Pichon himself knows what he can bring to the table when it comes to quick laps when the pressure is on. He also knows that not too many of his rivals can do the same. "I know I can push hard for two or three laps - I can ride harder and recover quickly, maybe because in my past my condition was not very good; I was even then able to go high and still Mickael Pichon'S competitors have been seeing a lot of this angle again this year. Even so, Pichon admits he's not as quick as Ricky Carmichael or Chad Reed.