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page 2 Exclusive - 2014 Thierry Michaud interview |
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Tell me about that, were you good at football?
Yes, good, yes I was playing. You know football, it is quite an easy access able sport,as you can imagine. My brother and me were playing football. In fact the story is that my brother one day had a problem and he had to stop to play football and it was with a little bike……it was not like a motorcycle, it was like a scooter and you know a few kilo meter from our city there was a trial rider who make a wheelie. It was something incredible at that time. He take the scooter and he goes to see this person who was making wheelie who was also riding trial. My brother had been in love with this sport and he buys a Yamaha TY and it was the first trials bike that come in our garage an we keep this for many years. My brother was a good trial rider. Not as good as me, but he was a very good trial rider my brother.
Yes, good, yes I was playing. You know football, it is quite an easy access able sport,as you can imagine. My brother and me were playing football. In fact the story is that my brother one day had a problem and he had to stop to play football and it was with a little bike……it was not like a motorcycle, it was like a scooter and you know a few kilo meter from our city there was a trial rider who make a wheelie. It was something incredible at that time. He take the scooter and he goes to see this person who was making wheelie who was also riding trial. My brother had been in love with this sport and he buys a Yamaha TY and it was the first trials bike that come in our garage an we keep this for many years. My brother was a good trial rider. Not as good as me, but he was a very good trial rider my brother.
Fred Michaud enjoying a moment with Charles Coutard at the 1980 Indoor Solo Moto Trial of Barcelona
2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com Photo Solo moto
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2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com photo solo moto
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2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com
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What was the first Trial motorcycle that you ride ever ?
I bought a Yamaha TY like thousands of trials riders at this time. Did you have a scooter before or a small bike? Yes, just a scooter to go to school but not an off road scooter. How old were you when you got this first scooter ? 14 years old. It's a strange question but these are all things that people like to know. What was the make of the scooter ? The scooter aahhhhh it was a Peugeot ha ha |
Just a 50 cc engine ?
Yes 50 cc. It was a Peugeot 103. Not many people know that ha ha. I had a little scooter to go to school and I had an off road bike to ride trial but this was not on the road because this was not legal. I had a 125 Yamaha at 14 years old but it was not allowed on the road so I just ride off road.
Yes 50 cc. It was a Peugeot 103. Not many people know that ha ha. I had a little scooter to go to school and I had an off road bike to ride trial but this was not on the road because this was not legal. I had a 125 Yamaha at 14 years old but it was not allowed on the road so I just ride off road.
How old were you when you ride your first trial?
Officially ?
Yes?
I ride some sort of closed to club trial but between 14 and 16 years old. I rode really very few trials because at this time it was not allowed to ride with out driving licence and then it was not possible to ride in competition. Then it ride …it ride very very few races till I am 16 year old.
Did you enjoy school?
No, at this time….did you mean school as a student or trial school ?
As a student ?
Yes, I was quite ok at school. I go to school until I was 18 years old. I was quite mathmatic and quite a good student. No no, I had been at school until I was 18 years old. I was at school until I had to stop to ride the World Championship.
What was your favourite subject at school ?
Mathematics, the numbers, not the letters but the numbers ha ha
Were you a good boy at school or not, or somewhere in the middle ?
This was the time I need to stop because I knew I needed to practice a lot. You know when you are 18 years old you prefer to ride the trial bike than to go to school but I was quite a good student until I was 17. The last year my mind was more on the trial riding than on the school, but I was quite a good student.
When you were a boy who did you practice with on the trial ?
Oh yes, with my brother Fred. I think I have been lucky because my brother was a good rider. When I started to ride trial my brother was obviously much better than me but the thing is at this time the section was much different and more accessible, so if you had a much lower lever you could try the section. Then I had a level much lower than my brother but I can try each section with my brother. Some time I was riding with him and some other friends because there was a lot of riders at that time and the French and the national French level was very high in the 80’s. At the end of the 70’s and the beginning of the 80’s the French natural level was one of the best in Europe and one of the best in the world and it was good for me. I was practising in good conditions with good riders. We needed to practice much less than now, you know. Now it's much harder.
Was it easy to find places to ride near to where you lived ?
Yes. It was not at home but it was very close and I can go to a practice with a bike, just directly with a bike. It was just a few kilo meters and it was not forbidden to ride. We did not have the problem with the green people.
Could you ride for many miles in the mountains ?
Yes, but the sections were 3 or 4 miles from my house it was not necessary to put the bike on the trailer behind a car. I can go to practice alone. It is dangerous but many times after school I go practice for one hour just near my house and it was dangerous but it was good for me. It was good for me because I could practice one hour every day. It was good for that.
Who was your idol that you looked up to when you were a boy ? Did you look up the the Champions and did you buy the magazines and the Trials papers ?
Yes yes yes of course. Normally when you are young you are a fan of one person. I was the fan of Bernie Schreiber, you know. It's incredible because I was a big fan of this new style. In fact I had 2 person. In France, Charles Coutard was a very great rider, a famous rider, French Champion, he was a very professional rider. He is a very good person for French trials, Charles Coutard has been fantastic. For me and Giles Burgat and for many riders, for the 80’s trial French riders Charles Coutard has been a very good person. Also for me I was quite impressed with Bernie Schreiber, the young American rider.
Officially ?
Yes?
I ride some sort of closed to club trial but between 14 and 16 years old. I rode really very few trials because at this time it was not allowed to ride with out driving licence and then it was not possible to ride in competition. Then it ride …it ride very very few races till I am 16 year old.
Did you enjoy school?
No, at this time….did you mean school as a student or trial school ?
As a student ?
Yes, I was quite ok at school. I go to school until I was 18 years old. I was quite mathmatic and quite a good student. No no, I had been at school until I was 18 years old. I was at school until I had to stop to ride the World Championship.
What was your favourite subject at school ?
Mathematics, the numbers, not the letters but the numbers ha ha
Were you a good boy at school or not, or somewhere in the middle ?
This was the time I need to stop because I knew I needed to practice a lot. You know when you are 18 years old you prefer to ride the trial bike than to go to school but I was quite a good student until I was 17. The last year my mind was more on the trial riding than on the school, but I was quite a good student.
When you were a boy who did you practice with on the trial ?
Oh yes, with my brother Fred. I think I have been lucky because my brother was a good rider. When I started to ride trial my brother was obviously much better than me but the thing is at this time the section was much different and more accessible, so if you had a much lower lever you could try the section. Then I had a level much lower than my brother but I can try each section with my brother. Some time I was riding with him and some other friends because there was a lot of riders at that time and the French and the national French level was very high in the 80’s. At the end of the 70’s and the beginning of the 80’s the French natural level was one of the best in Europe and one of the best in the world and it was good for me. I was practising in good conditions with good riders. We needed to practice much less than now, you know. Now it's much harder.
Was it easy to find places to ride near to where you lived ?
Yes. It was not at home but it was very close and I can go to a practice with a bike, just directly with a bike. It was just a few kilo meters and it was not forbidden to ride. We did not have the problem with the green people.
Could you ride for many miles in the mountains ?
Yes, but the sections were 3 or 4 miles from my house it was not necessary to put the bike on the trailer behind a car. I can go to practice alone. It is dangerous but many times after school I go practice for one hour just near my house and it was dangerous but it was good for me. It was good for me because I could practice one hour every day. It was good for that.
Who was your idol that you looked up to when you were a boy ? Did you look up the the Champions and did you buy the magazines and the Trials papers ?
Yes yes yes of course. Normally when you are young you are a fan of one person. I was the fan of Bernie Schreiber, you know. It's incredible because I was a big fan of this new style. In fact I had 2 person. In France, Charles Coutard was a very great rider, a famous rider, French Champion, he was a very professional rider. He is a very good person for French trials, Charles Coutard has been fantastic. For me and Giles Burgat and for many riders, for the 80’s trial French riders Charles Coutard has been a very good person. Also for me I was quite impressed with Bernie Schreiber, the young American rider.
2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com photo SWM
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2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com photo Colin Boniface
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2014 Thierry Michaud interview www.retrotrials.com Photo Italjet
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