VOL. 52 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 15, 2015 P119
but as soon as I moved in with him,
my level started going up and up. He
was the best in the sport. Literally
anything he'd do, he'd go to win it.
Just learning from the best, I feel like
you can get a bit of that and carry it
with you. He taught me a lot of stuff
and showed me how to accomplish
things. He wasn't afraid to give all his
secrets up; he would always help and
give anything.
What was the main thing you
think you learned from him?
Just being more serious about the
sport. He was really, really serious
about his racing. Anything he'd have
to do to win, he'd do it. He wouldn't second-
guess it; he'd just go do it. If it was training or go-
ing to ride or whatever, being really organized and
focused on racing, that was the main thing.
How much did you have to change your
program to match his?
Completely, 100 percent. I jumped on his full
program, from riding, cycling, gym and swim-
ming and everything, and the way I was eating. I
was on a diet for a long time. I believe whatever
worked for him had to work for me—and it did, for
sure.
Changing your diet must've been really
hard!
Yeah, coming from [Ensenada], the food's
really good! And I was chubby back in the day
and I was happy. I'm happy now, too! But I had to
cut a lot of food from my diet, for sure, and at the
same time I feel really good on the bike now, and
feel better and better. It's just the first step. Once
you've done it for a couple months, you're fine.
When you first started racing here full-time,
did you imagine yourself getting to this level?
No, not really. I wanted to be a top guy, for
sure, but I never thought it would be this soon.
I just worked really hard. I believe working hard
is the way you've got to go and it's the same in
any business or in life. If you don't work hard,
you might not get what you want.
I've been working really hard and
training and believing in myself. It
all worked well.
What was the most difficult
thing to learn, coming from
Mexico to racing here?
The level up here is way higher than in Mexico.
Once I did the national enduros down there,
Homero Diaz, he's at the top level and he's fast,
but if I wanted to be on the next level, I had to
move up here and learn from the best riders and
get that intensity and that level. Just like in my
whole career, all I've been wanting to do is take
it step by step in improvement and not just take
a big step forward and go two back—just be-
ing smart. I want to have a long career and take
everything step by step.
Moving to another country presents a lot of
challenges, with simply communicating be-
ing one of them. Since English isn't your first
language, how difficult was it to learn?
When I first moved up here, I didn't know any
English. I learned the basics in school a little bit;
I'd learn a little bit here and there as I spent more
time here. I wasn't able to communicate that well
with the mechanics at first and all the KTM guys.
It was hard for me. Just writing e-mails, it was a
big change for me. It's a different way to live life
Ramirez
represented his
home country
of Mexico in
the ISDE in
Slovakia.
