Tyler Medaglia the tough task of trying to do it all over again

With 2010 behind him,Tyler Medaglia now has the tough task of trying to do it all over again, only this time he has a big #1 on his back and everyone will be gunning for him. I caught up with Tyler to see how his off season has been going and how his preparation is for 2011.

DMX: Hey Tyler, happy New Year! How are things going?
Tyler: Things are good, Christmas and New Years went good. We kept things quiet but it was fun for sure. Now it’s a New Year and almost time to get back on the bike!

We haven’t spoke for awhile, what have you been up to the last few months?
I took some well deserved time off after Montreal and just recovered from the season and let some things heal. Then I started training again and preparing for 2011. It was good to relax and let all that happened in 2010 sink in, but it felt equally as good to get back in the gym and get ready to defend my Championship.


After some hard fought seasons Tyler will finally wear the #1 in 2011.

You are one of the few top guys that don’t really have a trainer. Obviously your results show that it works for you, why is that?

I think some riders use trainers simply because they aren’t self motivated, they need someone to tell them what to do and when to do it. I don’t need that; I am motivated the moment I wake up in the morning. My Brother and I had a guy by the name of Brian Robitaille who showed us some stuff, other than that; I have had a few other trainers that have showed me stuff over the years also. I have kind of taken a little from each guy than looked at what works for me and go from there. In the past there have been times that I have over worked, and times that I have under worked. Now I feel like I have a good balance and it seems to be working so I’m just going to stick with it, a lot of it is just listening to what your body is telling you.

Yeah, back in the day none of us had trainers, we all just went by feel. As long as you sat on the gate and felt prepared, it was all good?
For sure, it’s all about being confident. If having a trainer makes guys feel confident, than that’s cool. Whatever works for you I guess?

Like you said, your last few months have been spent getting ready for this year. Was there a time at all when you thought the Blackfoot Yamaha deal wasn’t going to happen and you’d have to find something else?
There was a little uncertainly for sure but not as much as you might think. Jason Mitchell kept me pretty updated as to what was going on so I wasn’t really worried. If Blackfoot didn’t work out than I think I could’ve found something. I know the economy is tough and it’s expensive for these teams to go racing, but I love racing and I would go in a pickup truck if I had to.


Tyler has amazingly smooth style!

When do you think you will be heading to GPF to start riding?
I guess whenever my bikes are done getting built, maybe the end of January we’ll head down.  I know what works from last year so I’ll kind of use that as a guide. If I start riding in February than that will give me lots of time to test and get ready for the summer, then I’ll come back and do a few local races in the spring, and then it will be time for the Nationals.

How do you feel right now compared to this time last year? It has been said that Championships are sometimes harder to defend than they are to win. Do you feel any added pressure now that you will have the #1 on your back?
You know what, I don’t really. I feel pretty good right now, probably better than last year because I know what it takes now to win a Championship. I also know that everyone else will be better prepared and everyone will be after me, that just come’s with being the guy who won last year. All I can do is prepare myself the best I can and show up at the first round physically and mentally ready to battle for 18 motos. I have a great bike, a great mechanic and a team that is 100% behind me, what more could I ask for.


Don't be surprised if you see these two brothers battling for a championship in 2011!

You sound like you have a great attitude and that you are ready for whatever comes at you.  Your family is very close and supportive, how happy were you for Jeremy when he signed with KTM for 2011?
I was very happy for him, he deserves everything he gets. I know the program that Orange Motorsports ran last year was good for him, Siert did a great job. But, Jeremy works so hard and he is so focused. It’s great that he finally has a shot on the big team. He is going to be tough to beat this year, hopefully you see the Medaglia Brothers up front in every moto!

The MX2 class this year is going to be killer I think. Thanks for doing this and all the best, good luck with your training and we’ll talk again soon. 
For sure Palms! Happy New Year and take care.

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