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/128370
A fresh start to the '05 World MX GP season has Mickael Pichon optimistic about his future STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER ntering his camper, it is obvious that there is a hive of activity in the Pichon household. At the back of the camper his newborn baby is crying. His 4-year-old son is playing with the remote control, looking for a video of his dad. Mrs. Pichon is busy peeling potatoes for the night's meal. Mickael Pichon looks relaxed despite the obvious noise; his demeanor is not that of the high-strung racer of the previous season. Pichon seems to have mellowed. Throughout the day, the Frenchman signs autographs, poses for photos and does his best to accommodate his growing legion of fans. At 29 years old, Pichon feels strong, and while he did have a very busy off-season, he is looking into his crystal ball and a large number-one plate is all he can see. The birth of his second child, plus the job of bUilding a new house, has kept his mind off racing and given him time to enjoy real life for the first time in his racing career. Those moments are what Pichon feels have leveled his life out and given him a better balance. "We had a new baby on December 6, plus I have been building a new house in France; it should be ready in a few weeks," Pichon said. "For me, the family life is good. I mean, I am busy with my kids. If I have a bad race, I forget quickly; I am too busy with my kids. For me, it is important to forget about the racing. I was always too thinking about it; it took up all my time. Now I am also doing things with my family life, and I like it a lot. For the first time ever [at the preseason Mantova race], my son came up to me after a race and said I had won. He was so proud, and it was funny. He didn't stop talking about me winning for some time. I had to tell him to relax. It was like, 'Papa, you won! Papa, you won!' He said it like 20 times." While the warmth of a family gives Pichon that solid base any person needs, he also knows that small children can take some energy. It's not the stressful energy a sportsman loses through competition, though, and he feels he can deal with it. E 60 MARCH 23, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS Pichon is hoping to give the fans a lot to cheer about this year in 2005. "This week was not so easy. My oldest son is terrible at the moment," Pichon said. "He is 4 years old, so he is at a busy time in his life. The youngest baby was terrible in the first months, but now she is going better, sleeping more. They don't take energy though, not really. It's not like the energy, of racing. For now, he is 4 years old, but he is starting to get interested. For me, the family is so much more important than the racing at this point in my life." HaVing struggled through last season, always feeling like he was playing catch-up, Pichon is now confident he will enter the 2005 season in the best condition of his racing career. Instead of working for himself, Pichon looks at his children and works even harder. "I am training more now than ever, even with my kids around. They take a lot of time from Stephane [Mrs. Pichon], and that gives me the time I need to work. When you don't have kids, you think about yourself. You work hard because it's your job, but with the kids you think more that you are doing this for them. You work hard so they can eat and have a good life. I want them to be happy