Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
When the 2013 year began, one of the only things Tyler Medaglia and Cole Thompson had in common was they were both Canadian. At the time few could predict that as the summer rolled on these two would not only become teammates on the Red Bull Royal Distributing Fox KTM Team, but also would be teammates on Team Canada and travel over to Germany for the 2013 MXON. We caught up with Tyler and Cole as they were getting ready to pack their bags for the trip to Germany.
Cole Thompson and his entourage are very close. Here Cole, his brother Kyle and Steve Beattie come up with a plan. Photo by Marc Landry
Cole Thompson
Q: Hey Cole, you’re about to embark on your journey overseas. How’s the preparation been going?
A: It’s been going good. I’ve just been preparing like I would for any race. I’ve been doing my training and motos. I feel good and hopefully I can go over there and ride like I know I can and represent Canada well.
Q: Will this be your first trip overseas?
A: It will be my second. I actually went over there when I was younger for the World JR race but I broke my collarbone on the third lap and didn’t get to race. I’m hoping that this time goes a little smoother (laughs).
Q: So does the rest of Canada. We’re a month or so past your big win at Walton. What have you been up to since then?
A: The week after Walton I raced the Madoc race so that wasn’t too bad. After Madoc I slowed things down a bit and tried to catch my breath. When you factor in all the racing I did in the winter as well as the Nationals in the summer, I’ve been racing a lot. So the last few weeks I’ve been trying to keep it fun but also get my training in so I will be ready for this weekend.
The MXON will probably be last time Cole will have to wear a three digit for a very long time.
Q: You certainly had a lot of seat time in 2013. Were you happy with how the summer went?
A: Yes for sure, I thought it was good. It was my first time racing the series in Canada and also my first time riding a KTM, but all things considered I think it was a really good experience. I’ve always had a lot of support up here with friends and family so it was amazing to get to race in front of them this summer. I really missed that for sure.
Q: Well, we all enjoyed watching you battle in the final five rounds. Now you’re going to Germany this week to kick some butt. What is your plan afterwards?
A: Well, I’m definitely going to take some time off after I get home and recharge a little bit. Then it’s on to preparing for 2014. I have to try and find some bikes and then I will head down south to ride the Arenacross Series that I always do and then get ready for east coast supercross.
This photo never gets old.
Q: Will we see you on a KTM in supercross?
A: At this point I would say yes. I will be riding KTMs in supercross and for the remainder of 2014. I really like the team and their program. If I could ride supercross and then the Canadian Nationals for them in 2014, that would be an ideal situation for me.
Q: It would be great to see you up here for the entire series in 2014. I will let you go and finish packing. Good luck in Germany and we’ll catch up when you return.
A: Thanks. My dad and brother are heading over with me so we should have a great time.
Tyler Medaglia
Q: Hey Tyler, I just spoke to your KTM and Team Canada teammate Cole Thompson. He said he’s doing great. I will ask you the same opening question – how’s the preparation been going for this weekend?
A: It’s been going really good actually. I think I feel better on my KTM than at any point in the season. So, yes I’m ready to go.
Tyler felt right at home on his KTM all summer and rewarded his team with a strong third place finish in the MX1 Series.
Q: Did you relax after Walton and hang out at the bakery?
A: No! Well, maybe a little bit more than normal but after Walton I’ve still been doing my normal training and racing. I’ve been racing the Atlantic series races the last few weeks and then we had a fun little SX race here so I’ve stayed on the bike quite a bit.
Q: I know you’ve been living in Nova Scotia for a while now but you really love it out there don’t you?
A: You got that right! I do love it out here. It’s just a great place to live and train and raise our family. We have a great group of friends and everyone is just down to earth and nice.
Q: How is the family doing?
A: Everyone is great. Heidi and Milly are great and Talon is just wide open. He comes to the track with me during the day and just bombs around on his Strider. He loves it.
Tyler’s son Talon loves two wheels and will no doubt follow in his famous Dad’s footsteps.
Q: You’ve just come off one of your best seasons ever. How excited are you for this weekend?
A: I can’t wait to get over there, hang out with the team and get ready to race. We’re representing our country, the track looks good, my brother is one of my teammates and we have our race bikes over there. It really doesn’t get any better.
Q: Is it me or do things seem a lot more organized this year?
A: I think they do for sure. There has been a real effort to make sure we have everything we need over there. We’re all meeting in Toronto to fly over together and when we get there we get to practice before the race, so yes this year things have been better for sure.
Tyler had a few good battles with his brother Jeremy this summer. These two took their battle for third overall all the way to the final round in Walton.
Q: You ended up third overall this summer. Were you happy with how things went?
A: Yes, for sure. I think I had a good summer but like anything, it always could’ve been better. If it wasn’t for the Quebec round I think I could’ve finished second in the MX1 series, but that’s racing and I think as the summer went on I got a lot more comfortable on the bike. That’s what I meant earlier when I said that I’m feeling better now on the bike. I’ve just been figuring more stuff out lately. I’ve never been good at setting up a bike on hard pack tracks so out west we struggled a bit, but I think we’ve got it figured out now so it should be good moving forward.
Q: Well Tyler, please say hi to everyone in Nova Scotia for me and good luck in Germany.
A: Thanks and I will. It should be a great trip and hopefully we can make Canada proud.
