Eloi Palau (Viladrau, 24 years old) has donned the rainbow jersey that distinguishes world champion cyclists. In his case, Bici-trial world champion, the discipline of balancing on two wheels, without a motor. The Catalan rider was crowned last weekend in the World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, against two other Spanish riders, Alejandro Montalvo and Borja Conejos, champion until now.
"It's the maximum you can aspire to in Bici-trial". For Eloi Palau it is the maximum award for half a lifetime dedicated to this specialty; a discipline that she discovered at the age of 12 living in Calldetenes, where the Escola Trialsport is located, a nursery for young riders. He began to compete in his region, Osona, the cradle of motor sports from which great champions have emerged, and at the age of 17 he made the leap to the World Cup in 2015 in Andorra (4th), in the junior category, of which he was champion in 2016 in Val d'Isère (Italy). After a 4th in China and a 3rd in last year's edition in Vic, now the gold comes to Palau, in Abu Dhabi.
“In this discipline, strength is needed -especially in the legs-, balance, technique and speed; It is a very complete sport”, explains Palau, who, in addition to quality, puts a lot of dedication into it, which is essential: about 4 hours a day of training, six days a week, which combines a double gym session, road bike rides and trial-bike.
Now, his main objective is to repeat the success and win the 2023 World Cup, which will be held at the end of August in Glasgow. "The rainbow is the biggest challenge I face next year, and all those to come," says Palou, who is at the optimal age for performance, between 22 and 28 years old. “If injuries respect you…”, says the Catalan pilot, who suffered a strange, unprecedented accident in 2019: a bomb from the First World War exploded in the Dolomites, in Italy, when he was on an excursion with a friend.
From that accident he 'remembered' living with tinnitus (noise in the ears) that prevents him from "hearing high-pitched sounds", loss of vision in his right eye, "as if he had fog", and two fingers on his right hand, the heart and the little finger, which cannot extend into the last phalanx. “I've gotten used to all this, it doesn't stop me from driving. I can do anything… It can't be fixed now”, says Eloi Palau, who will continue with the bike, without making the leap to motor trials. "It's already too late for me."
