The physical trainer for motorcycling riders at a national and international level, Míriam Cribillés, has been one of the protagonists of the SC Trade Center Talks, Women in Sports, Technology and Innovation. During her speech, Cribillés, who currently works with 25 riders of different ages, revealed that she has created the first training center in Spain. A center that includes a training simulator that improves motorcycling riders’ performance.
Motorcycling is an imminently male sport, but in recent years have you seen an increase in the number of women interested in motorcycling?
Truth be told, yes, and not only as athletes, but also as engineers, mechanics, telemetricians and physiotherapists who are part of a motorcycling team. Luckily, it is starting little by little, although it is difficult but, it is growing.
Why did you specialize in motorcycling?
Because I love sports as well as motorcycles and I wanted to bring them all together.
What is the result you are achieving in your training center and how is technology changing riders?
Our center has changed the way motorcycles riders prepare. It is not only physical, but it also psychological aspect are included. As well as the race and a circuit preparation part, together with the definition of the lines, knowing how to change gears, how to position yourself on the motorcycle … Briefly, aspects that on the track they only have three days to predict and there is no time to do all this. We work on all this very specifically in the gym, quietly, without thinking about the pressure of other things, and in the end, it is like changing the complete preparation of the motorcycling riders.
Would you say that motorcycling is a sport that only people watch the races and do not see all the work behind it, considering its complexity in combining physical and mental condition and the danger of the circuits?
Yes, because there is not only the preparation of the rider, but also of the motorcycle, and of the team, and all this has a development. They are two separate things, but later at the time of the competition they must be united. As this is a very mental issue, the preparation of a competitor is a complex job and although it is found in most sports, in motorcycling a double concentration is required.
What do you think of this kind of initiative that gives women a voice, like the SC Trade Center Talks?
These kinds of talks, conversations give women a voice and show that we women are doing things, they are very important, since they give us normality and visibility.
What is the most complicated challenge you face when accompanying a motorcyclist?
When there are falls, when there are fears, when there are deaths involved, this is the most difficult part to manage. It is complex and the most critical part for me, more over because we must face it day by day, so we try to make them feel strong, so they can face these difficulties. How to deal with these issues? They are more related to life than to performance and it is something that must be considered.
Do the riders, who start in the world of motorcycling at a young age, need closer support?
Yes, at present the youngest I have is a seven-year-old girl who does trial, but some start even younger, for instance at three years old. These children wear helmets that make them look older. We guide them little by little, through games, so that they can identify different aspects of the competition. But, above all, show them through games that they can relax, improve and overcome frustrations, which is the most difficult part for a child. Obviously, the physical development and coordination are important, nevertheless when the mental aspect is well managed in the childhood as an adult, it will serve them a lot.
From all athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen you have, is there one you are particularly proud of?
For me they are all my children, from the 7-year-old girl to the 30- or 40-year-old rider. I have been working as a physical trainer for pilots for ten years and I feel them like my little brothers and sisters for everything we lived together, for all the joys, for how we cried or laughed… all this is fantastic, and that is what I take with me as a life experience.
What do you think of the SC Trade Center facilities?
Well, they are very good, because there is a little bit of everything, and all these initiatives like SC Trade Center Talks are very nice, and that someone should think about all this too.
