MXP Chatter: Tyler Medaglia

With no Montreal SX again this year, most of Canada’s top riders are either having fun racing local events or thinking about what they might do this winter to earn some extra money. One rider that is that is doing both, as well as preparing to represent this country in two weeks at the MXONs, is Tyler Medaglia. After wrapping up another impressive third place in the MX1 class last month at Walton Raceway, there has been little time to rest for Medaglia as he’s really looking forward to proving to the world that Canada belongs in the spotlight. We caught up with Tyler to see how’s he’s doing and just what a typical day is like for Canada’s number three rider.

MXP: Hey Tyler, how are you? What have you been up to since Walton?

Tyler: I’m doing really well actually, just trying to keep busy. Since Walton I’ve just been busy doing a lot of mountain biking and hiking; it’s fun and it’s also good training. I’ve also been riding a lot so I’m ready to go in a few weeks for the MXON.

We know you have a lot on your plate these days; what’s a typical day like for you?

Well, our two kids usually wake up around 7:30 so they’re my alarm clock (laughs). Once we get up and get dressed we’ll head down to the bakery to see Heidi and have some breakfast. Mitch [Cooke] is there also so we’ll spend some time just talking and hanging out. From there, me and the kids go and do something for the morning like a hike or play, for instance, as we speak Palms, the kids are helping me cut some trails in the forest.

Heidi will usually get home from the bakery around 12:30 and we all sit and have lunch and pretty much hang out together. After lunch I’ll head out riding for the afternoon, then I’ll do a little training and then it is dinner time. We’ll hang out at home, go to sleep and then wake up and do it all over again.

It sounds as though you’re quite grounded at home and have a lot of support. Do you think that to be a top rider these days it’s imperative to have a pretty simple home life?

For sure, during the week we have a lot to do with preparing for the following weekend. I’m very lucky to have Heidi who does so much for me, and also everyone else out here who supports me.

You really like it in Nova Scotia don’t you?

I love it!

Let’s move onto to the big race in Latvia on September 28th. I understand you and Kaven are heading over a little earlier than the rest of the team?

Yes, we’re heading over to the KTM HQ in Austria next Saturday. We fly into Munich and then I think it’s a two hour drive to KTM. From there we’re just going to hang out, get a tour of KTM and get used to the time change. After a few days there we drive back to Munich and then fly to Latvia.

That sounds exciting and also a great way to start off the trip. This isn’t your first time to Europe or to the MXON, do you feel a lot better prepared this year?

Definitely, I really believe that we’re going to be very successful this year. I know we’ve had strong teams in the past and each year the expectations are obviously to do well, however this year I just feel like we’re going to have some good luck. If we can get a decent gate pick for the qualifiers then that will be huge; that will help us get good starts and hopefully everything will fall into place.

Are you going in with any specific expectations?

I think this team is more than capable of finishing in the top ten or better. I feel like we’re all riding really well right now, we all had great summers so we need just keep the ball rolling.

Let’s rewind a little bit to this past summer. You once again had an incredible summer. How much did it mean to you to finish third again in the MX1 class?

It really means the world to me because this year I feel like I really belonged up there. I felt like the competition was a little deeper this year so to run up front and even win a moto was amazing. I think the first half of the series would’ve been even better had we had a little more time to test before the first round. Unfortunately, I signed on late to the KTM Team again this year so there wasn’t much time to get the bike ready. With a few rounds to go we tried some different settings that worked awesome and made a huge difference. Hopefully I can get something sorted out a little earlier for next year so I can be more prepared.

Well, I think you’ve solidified yourself as one of the top riders in the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals so any team would be lucky to have you in 2015.

Thank you, I appreciate that. That’s my goal this winter, to get a deal done early so I’m not waiting around in the Spring.

Do you have any plans to do some off-season races?

I’d like to do the Monster Cup in October; that would be fun. I’m trying to get a bike to ride out there so we’ll see what happens. After that I’ll probably just hang out at home and train and then head south. Last year I did the AX Series in BC but it was tough flying back and forth across the country to do it. I paid for my flights so in the end I didn’t make a lot of money. The racing was great but I think my time could be better spent doing something else, like maybe some US Arenacross or some East Coast Supercross.

After the summer you had and then travelling all the way to Latvia, you may need a long break to just relax.

That’s sounds like a great idea!

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Congratulations on a very successful summer Tyler and best of luck in Latvia. I’m sure you guys will do Canada proud.

We’ll certainly try our best. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it when we get home. Thanks for calling.