Johann Zarco meets Amber Pate 🤝 Cycling helping with MotoGP, 17 years racing & MORE! 🤩

MotoGP rider Johann Zarco of Honda HRC Castrol is joined by pro cyclist Amber Pate, representing Liv AlUla Jayco / GreenEDGE Cycling as they cycle around the Catalonia track and talk about how cycling helps him in MotoGP, how long he has been riding for and lasting 17 years as a professional racer

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[Music] Hello, Joan. Hello. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I heard that you cycle the track every race. Do you almost? Yes. Um there are some tracks when it’s too much um elevation. I go out, but uh here we’re in Catalunia and the elevation is quite low. so we can go on the track. Do you mind if I join you? Sure. It was a pleasure. Thank you. [Music] I first turned professional in 2023. So this I read it. Yeah. Yeah. So this is my third year now. I’m 30 now and I Yeah. started cycling when I was 25. So quite quite late. Yes. And yeah, I guess quite late. But I think for me, sport has always been in my blood. I love I I I was swimming when I was younger, did some triathlon and yeah, so sport or activity was was in my blood. It’s really impressive to begin late but get the performance because we know that when we do things from child the body get used get trained with the years and for yourself how long have you been riding for now? Yeah. And now the world championship is uh 17 years. So Oh my goodness. So and I see that I’m so used to it. So, for example, with cycling, when we’re racing, the the young ones coming up are sometimes more aggressive in the racing, more take more risks, bring up the speed and and maybe the danger in Moto GP. Is it the same? Me, I feel it when the condition are changing, the weather conditions. Yeah, I really have a good control because of the experience which of course showed in the home race for you where you won by 20 seconds. Incredible. That was nice. It was so incredible to see and I think for Yeah. For me it was the strategy in which you race. The weather forecast was telling it going to rain. Yeah. And I know in Lar if they say it it will come. All the day was gray raining. Yeah. So, I really believe it’s coming. It was your first race that your mom had seen. Yeah. How do you feel? Uh, I didn’t know yet if I um I can resign or not for for Honda. Yeah. For Honda. So, that’s why I was thinking maybe it’s my last year. Yeah. Yeah. So, I say okay. And now 17 years in the world championship, I never asked my mom to come. So I that’s why I organized it say if there is one race to choose it can be the French GP because just to see the crowd y because I’m like a superstar in France. Yeah, absolutely. It’s so crazy and I wanted that she can see it. Co weight is over. Yes, we have witnessed history here. Like why do you feel that cycling helps within within your racing? Cycling is good because you can adjust pretty well your heart rate and most of the time because on the bike we always really the heart rate is very high. Yes. And now that we are doing so many races, it means that every weekend, yeah, you are giving a maximum. Yes. So the rest of the time I try to rest or get I mean um active recovery. Yes. So I need to be the heart rate very low. Yeah. And it’s easier with the bicycle. When you’re racing, what data is the most important for you? But the there are the engineer that are really they can control so many thing on the bike. Yep. That compared to cycling, I guess. Yeah. They are the data. They are more for what the the athlet Yeah. is doing, how much power he gives and heart rate these things. Yep. Uh I need like if I put extra energy, how many tense I get. Yep. Or if I saving the energy sometimes I don’t lose too much of time. So I say okay better to use to lose three times. Yeah. But my heart rate is 15 heart rate beating less which is massive. Yes. So may I try to play with this letting the other data to the team the engineer is speaking with me to asking me okay maybe here the bike is not sliding enough so I can give you a bit more power. Yeah. Or in this place back is moving. Yeah. So we can see bike is moving but we have to understand if it’s moving because suspension are not working well or maybe we have too much power that the power makes move the bike and that’s amazing. The rider sometimes can say it or feel it feel it. Yep. And then the engineer need to have the right interpretation. Yes. Yep. Wow. That’s amazing. It’s so much different for us. I think that precision is really important. I mean, yes, I’ve been in professional cycling for a uh short period of time as such, but because I came in a little bit later, I came in with a lot of maturity. Yes. Uhhuh. And also ability to take on a lot of the different stimulus and loading temperature. I believe Yeah. Like now the precision like you say creates very consistent performance, consistent support for a team. Yeah, I still believe I can do definitely so good. Yeah, definitely. For my best res races and best results heart rate was lower low lower than a tough race like in Hungary I was 180 heart rate. Wow. And I crash. Yeah. When I won in Lar, it was rain condition, so it’s it’s less demanding for the body. Yes. But I was 136. So almost my best race of the of life. It was an active recovery for me. That’s amazing. When you think about it, you say, “Okay, I have still two years.” Yeah. If I still develop this control on the bike. Yeah. Like nutrition. What do you focus on nutrition for race day? Do you How does that work? I don’t want to that the nutrition become like um obsessive. Yes. Yes. So I I’m a Frenchman, so I love pleasure. I need to be happy when I’m eating. I love that. Yeah, that makes sense. Um that’s why I’m not super strict with myself. Yes. But I feel that there is things to to develop. Uh yes and you can allow yourself to drink a bit of wine or not. Ah me I can because I guess you’re French as I’m French but in motorbike we are controlling less the data of the body. Yes. So I can cheat a bit more maybe than a a cyclist or big group. Are they all riders or Yeah. There is Mark. Mark is in red and blue. Yeah of course. And there were also English rider Moto 2 Dixon. See? Yeah. Then I didn’t see the other. I guess there is also Alex Marquez. Yeah. So, yeah, they are amazing. It’s rare to see all of them together, but also they are going quite Yeah. going fast. Easy going. And I mean, we’re nice to relax. It’s good. I said I said we go easy today. It’s good for the body. I mean, I’m fine like this. That’s It’s perfect. This is a perfect pace. Yeah. So, this was a good easy ride. It was amazing. Thank you so much for having me along and best of luck this weekend. I hope to do well. You will.