“I have a lot of anger and in Hard Enduro I can let it out”

Sandra Gomez Cantero (Cercedilla, 1-23-1993) knows what success means at the highest international level of women’s motorcycling. He was world team champion at the Trial of Nations in 2008 and twice Spanish champion of the same discipline, in addition to having several medals at the X-Games, the iconic extreme sports event, and twice participated in Dakar rally, 2022 and 2023. However, his indomitable spirit required a new challenge and he found it in the wild discipline of Tough Enduro. If the traditional enduro modality is carried out on narrow country roads, forests and mountains, and in itself is demanding enough even for the level of any beginner, Hard Enduro at a professional level is more than some levels.

What kind of training do you do to prepare for a Hard Enduro test?

I practice on the bike as much as possible, time the sections to pick up the speed and get good at turning in the fast places, which is basically what we have in the days of the prologue stage, and then I practice a lot of hard enduro, which is the most difficult section we encounter on a World Championship race day or a national championship. You also need to train motocross to gain speed or test for more technical riding. Enduro is really a mix of different disciplines, so you train as much as possible.

What reception do you see women drivers getting in Hard Enduro?

Reception? Everyone! I feel like I’m just another driver, but I think I have to earn my place. In the first races, they obviously don’t take you seriously and, over the years, when you finish the Romaniacs, or are on the second row at Ezberg, do a lot of laps and beat some rivals, you win. .the place and you are another.

Does it cost more to make money in that area if you’re a woman?

It’s harder to take seriously, in fact, no girl is an official driver in any brand. They still don’t take us seriously at that point, but with other drivers it’s comparable to a junior coming in and having a good race and saying: “Look at this one…”. That junior, if he does a lot of good races, will earn his spot.

What appeals to you most about Hard Enduro? What is the biggest challenge for the rider?

The atmosphere is amazing, we are all colleagues, but we compete with each other, so, if you have to pass another rider’s bike, you pass, but when the race is over you have a couple of beer with the same rider whose motorcycle you passed. There’s a great vibe and that’s amazing. The race itself, where the public is close, is brutal. In other types of races, such as the Romanians or the Short races, such as the Ezberg, which are impossible, are also a challenge. Everything has to be perfect, because there are other races where you can allow mistakes because there are more days and more hours competing, but you also have to manage it well because mentally it is very difficult.

What makes Hixpania different from other World Championship races?

In the Aguilar de Campoo prologue race it’s a bit different because this section is more difficult with small Hard Enduro sections, you need a trained time and cross section because you have to be very fast. On the other hand, in a Romaniac, for example, you have to follow a slower pace because the day is longer. In the end, four hours for us is a sprint.

You compete at the highest level in motorcycle disciplines that require great physical fitness. Currently there are studies that show that if the menstrual cycle is taken into account when organizing training, performance can increase and injuries can be avoided; In your case, have you considered it?

I started in the World Trial Championships when I was 14 years old. From 20 to 24 my body was very different, I didn’t lose weight and I wasn’t fibrous. They are frustrating because I have worked and seen no results. My period is normal, but we are talking about trials. Once I started Hard Enduro and did really hard racing, everything changed. Then my body calmed down and I remained as I am now. [físicamente hablando] and I’ve been like this for years. But as for time, it comes and goes; Maybe it didn’t come for three months and now I do what many athletes do, I keep it controlled by the doctors and we choose when our period comes, this way you save difficult races and pills keep it under control. Otherwise, it’s crazy, that happened to me before. These are “girl things”, as the grandmothers say, that we should consider. But hey, with the doctors I can handle it quite well and I’m satisfied.

What made you want to compete in Hard Enduro?

In trials, I have been playing for the world championship for many years and my brother [el piloto Alfredo Gómez] He’s moved on to Hard Enduro, which means it’s just around the corner. I started trying races starting with the X-Games, when I competed in them and got some medals. I had an enduro motorcycle, I trained super enduro and I tried races because, since my brother Alfredo was going, when I was free I went with him. And I loved that atmosphere, that the whole audience was screaming. In the test, I went crazy between each zone, so it helped me go crazy in the super enduro. I have found my sport, finally. I came from another discipline and in this one I think I can be more myself. I have a lot of anger and I can vent it here. In any other calm sport I couldn’t pull it off.

What obstacles have you encountered, if any, in becoming a high-level athlete?

There are still many obstacles. In fact, I have never been an official driver for any brand in Hard Enduro. Fortunately I had other sponsors and thanks to them I survived, but I also had to have two or three jobs in sight to survive. “I consider myself a professional because this is my first job and I train like a professional, but I need to have another income to survive.”

Do you think you are leading the way for other women to follow? From when you started until now, have you seen an evolution?

I like to think. Some years it seems to increase, others when it seems to decrease, I gave courses in Romania and Israel only for women, and also in Spain. There are girls around 16 or 18 years old who are very good. If they continue, if they are helped a little and kept motivated, which is also important, if they don’t put many obstacles, then they will continue. In my case, I’m very lucky because of the family I have. My brother is a professional pilot and a lot of things come from behind and my parents are with us all day. If those conditions weren’t met, I don’t know if I would have made it here. If my teacher hadn’t been number one in the world, it would have been more complicated. I try to help those girls when I can and I’m always looking out for them, even if I can only motivate them. If I can serve as a reference for any of them, it will be an honor for me.”

In Hard Enduro, as in MotoGP, men and women compete in the same category without gender distinction, as happens in other sports. Do you think Hard Enduro should have a women’s category?

There should be a difference because the bodies of men and women are different and in Hard Enduro a lot of strength is needed. There should be, but currently there aren’t enough girls for a category to exist. We are pioneers and we have to accept that’s the way it is.

How do you see the evolution of women’s hard enduro in ten years?

I see it as slow, but we must remember that the Hard Enduro World Championship is not very old. But there are many girls in the world who ride motorcycles and there are very good riders, but they also have to believe that they ride. If you dare to compete it is really when you see where your level is. And in the first races you always do worse because there are nerves and other factors, but I hope that, ten years from now, we will have a women’s world championship. 16 or 18 year old girls are on fire.