Andrea Bruno Rides Il Cicalino
The last week of September saw a group of professional riders gather at Il Cicalino for a trail series video production for Bike Magic and Dirt TV. The lead rider in this group Andrea Bruno, is well known across the MTB world, and graced us with his super smooth and effortless riding style. For many years he was one of the key riders in the development of Superenduro racing, with a huge following and many national race series titles to his name.
With the emergence of the Enduro World Series the focus of Enduro riding has now gone global and Andrea with one of the reserve spots on the protected riders list has embraced the new challenge of the last year.
Andrea often rides in Tuscany and this time was here to support the Bike Magic and the Dirt TV crew with their trail guide video series. “Im always here in Tuscany for various reasons, it is a great place to ride, but most importantly my family can be with me enjoy the countryside, beaches and whatever activities are on offer. This July I was here for my official non-work related summer holiday, I managed to get a few rides in though, very early in the morning.”
Unfortunately early season Andrea managed to injure his shoulder and had to “go slowly,” in the races this year. Still despite his injury and his “slower” performance he finished consistently in the top 50-80 riders.
Andrea with high placed finishes despite his inability to train at the same level had a good year. “My approach to training has changed in the last years, this year especially, I have very limited time due to business and family commitments and now injury, but despite this I have fun and give it my all on race day.”
In fact Andrea has bared witness to a sea-change in the world of Enduro racing with the sport going global, a new level of rider has emerged that is truly professional. Andrea commented, “The support structure behind many of the top teams now is incredible, each team has his own mechanics and management, giving the riders the opportunity to focus on training, preparation and racing only, a big change to only a few years ago where we were essentially all just weekend riders with day jobs and a passion for racing.”
At 38 years old Andrea has started to focus on a different approach to racing, “Looking forward I can see now how the young riders ride and train all day, every day of the week. Embracing this attitude I have a team that rides with me at a high level and is giving younger riders the opportunity to perform. I’m interested in the years ahead in riding to entertain and race specific events with the public, not just for results. The bicycling public really enjoys being able to speak to professional riders and share in the pits the experiences we have as pro riders, ask about bike setup and technique. Riding is for fun and despite the fact that I can compete at the top level, I have found myself enjoying the riding even with my setback.”
“In Whistler, at Crankworks, I was taken aback by the amount of support on the tracks for me. I was shocked to find Canadians shouting, “PAPA BRUNO… GO GO GO GO!” this really showed how focusing on the fun element of the sport is just as important as riding for results.”
Andrea on his injury, “For next year we will see what racing we do, first I have to focus on recovering my shoulder, maybe have a small operation, and train to reinforce the joint. Lots of decisions to make.”
Location Details
We rode the trails around Il Cicalino for the time we shot.
www.ilcicalino.it
Trail information here.
www.i-mtb.com/massa-maritima-free-ride
Follow Andrea Bruno on his website to keep up with his latest racing and bike adventures.
www.andreabruno.pro