What less cycling meant for Aleix Espargaro's 2022 MotoGP season
Aprilia MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaro says he cycled a lot less in 2022 than he normally would between races as he “didn’t need to escape from my work” like before.


Espargaro endured a difficult time with Aprilia since joining the marque in 2017, with a lack of progress on the Italian bike forcing him to consider quitting MotoGP back in 2019.
But major steps forward in the development of the RS-GP meant in 2022 Espargaro became a dark horse championship contender, having won his first ever grand prix in Argentina and tallying up five other podiums.
PLUS: How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
Espargaro kept himself in championship contention until a difficult penultimate round of the season in Malaysia.
The 33-year-old is a keen cyclist, and has often posted about his intense two-wheeled training on his social media accounts – with Espargaro expressing an interest in taking part in competitive cycling once his racing career is over.
He used this as a means of shutting off what was going on in MotoGP, though he said in Valencia last month at the season-finale that it was something he didn’t feel the need to do as much throughout 2022 given how strong a season it was.
Asked if he would feel more pressure going into 2023 as an expected title challenger after what happened last season, Espargaro said: “I think it’s going to be easier [to be seen as a title challenger in 2023].
“When you have higher motivation and higher expectations - you know you can do this because I proved it this year – everything is easier.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“You arrive to the races happier, everything is in a different mood.
“I’m even cycling a lot less this year and I think the reason why is because I don’t need to escape from my work because I’m really happy here in MotoGP.
“So, I’m really relaxed and I think next year – I really believe – can be the same or better than this year because we learned many things.”
Looking back over his season, Espargaro admits he was perhaps too critical of his team in the final races of 2022 due to a lack of competitiveness, but feels the year as a whole could be ranked as 10 out of 10.
“I mean, I’m really competitive and the faster you go and the more results you achieve, the more you want,” he added.
“It’s not that you are happy and relaxed. It’s the opposite: the more you want, the more you push and it’s not enough.
“Maybe I was too critical of the team in the last races, but this is what I felt at that moment.
“Maybe it was a mistake to tell it to everybody and was better to discuss internally, but I am what I am.
“But our season has been incredible. Last year we celebrated the podium in Silverstone like a victory, like history.
“And this year we won a race, we did five or six podiums, pole positions, we fought for the title till the end. Our season has been 10 [out of 10].”
Related video

Crutchlow didn’t expect Yamaha MotoGP test role “to be as difficult as what it is”
The weight limit crusade of one MotoGP rider

Latest news
Daytona 24, Hour 3: Cadillac leads Acura and Porsche
The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac leads the Acuras of Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing after three hours of action in the 61st Daytona 24 Hours.
Hughes "happy to feel a nudge" over the line from Evans after Diriyah FE energy shortage
McLaren Formula E driver Jake Hughes says he was "happy to feel a nudge" from Mitch Evans in the Diriyah E-Prix, which pushed him over the finish line for fifth.
Daytona 24, Hour 1: Acura leads, BMW in trouble early
Tom Blomqvist lead the opening hour of the Daytona 24 Hours aboard the Meyer Shank Racing Acura, as BMW became the first of the GTP manufacturers to hit trouble.
F1 champion Button "definitely interested" in NASCAR road course outings
The 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button says competing in NASCAR Cup races on road courses is something he is "definitely interested in".
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.