Maverick Viñales: A change of scene at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets

The MotoGP World Championship continues this coming weekend at MotorLand Aragon in Spain. It remains to be seen whether Maverick Viñales will be able to ride his Red Bull Tech3 KTM there again. As was the case recently at Silverstone, the Spaniard could once again be replaced by test rider Pol Espargaró.

Despite – or perhaps because of – the difficult situation, Viñales treated himself to a bit of a distraction at the weekend. Having gone on some extensive mountain bike rides himself over the past few days, the 26-time Grand Prix winner paid a visit to the Mountain Bike World Cup on Sunday.

The world’s best mountain bikers were in action at the iconic French resort of Les Gets in the Alps near Morzine. Vinales’ interest was focused primarily on the cross-country race and the French local hero Thibaut François.

The connection is obvious: François rides for a Canyon team, whilst Viñales is also sponsored by the German bicycle manufacturer. Before the start, the MotoGP star attracted attention in the mountain bikers’ paddock. Viñales watched the professionals as they made their final preparations and took the opportunity to have a chat with François.

The trip to the Mountain Bike World Cup gave Viñales the chance to take his mind off things for a few hours. However, his sporting situation remains precarious. It is still unclear when the Spaniard will be able to get back on his MotoGP KTM.

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The current situation takes on a special twist due to his potential replacement: Espargaro had held several in-depth technical discussions with Viñales over the course of the season in his role as an expert for DAZN Spain. Now, the 35-year-old could once again take his place on the Tech3-KTM in Aragon.