The polish Cross Country Champion of 2018 looks back on races across the nation, struggles with her family and her dreams to conquer the podium in a mixed – class event. The versatile young woman found time to get in touch with us, here are the results from our talk!
Wheel Sisters: First up, thank you so much for your time, may I ask you to introduce yourself to our audience?
Natalia: Surely, my Name is Natalia Micigolska, I live in Poland and I am an MX- rider since 2017.
Wheel Sisters: Is motorsport your profession or your hobby?
Natalia: For me it’s a hobby because is so hard to find support in Poland and unfortunately it’s a very expensive sport. I can’t ride and train as much as I want without any help from other people or companies. I am alone in this, I don’t get any so for now I do it as a hobby, maybe after more competitions I will find people to help me.
Natalia Micigolska is a young talented MX rider from Poland.
Photograph “private”.
Wheel Sisters: How and when did you get in to racing? Did you have help and encouragement or have you even encounter discouragement?
Natalia: I was on Cross-Country competition in 2017 and by accident and I fell in love with this discipline. As mentioned above, I don’ t get discouragement but I also don’t get support from my family, because they can’t handle the risk that comes with the sport.
Wheel Sisters: What was your first race? How did you feel on the start line and how did it go?
Natalia: I don’t really want to talk about it because I was really aiming for the 1st place but my old dirt bike disappointed me so I didn’t got to finish my first race. This was like hitting the wall. Something I didn’t expect. In this time I had a knee injury so I didn’t have a lot of time for training. But when I fought for my fist place… this feeling I will never forget!
Wheel Sisters: How often do you practice?
Natalia: I used to practice three times a week and rather everyday I go to the gym but at the moment I can’t afford regular training.
Natalia fights against her competitors and the conditions.
Photograph by “Banaszewski Phothaphy“.
Wheel Sisters: Is there something you are the most proud of?
Natalia: It’s actually two things. First, when I finished my first competition. It was my second start. Cross Country Competition in May 2018. Other women who fought with me were so much more experienced and they had much more experience. Despite this after half an hour of real hard fight with them I was on 1st position and I held it until the finish line.
Second was a competition in 2019. I started in men’s class in a Cross-Country Tournament and I finished as the 27th of 100 competitiors in my class, also I was the only woman there.
Wheel Sisters: What was your bigger failure?
Natalia: I am sure it was my knee injury, altough it was an accident. Also some of my own choices, I trusted in bad people and sometimes I blocked myself from riding.
Wheel Sisters: What does motorsport give you personally? How does it make you feel? What aspects of it do you love the most?
Natalia: To be honest I didn’t suspect my body could be so strong. Cross country is pretty hard. You ride a few hours as fast as you can, fighting with other riders without any stop, water or food. Sometimes in harsh weather. A dirt bike weights is more than 100 kg. Riders really often have rise them up after they fall. But at competitions I feel like my dirtbike weighs just 10 kg! I also got to know a lot of new things about me. Especially in the hardest moments I never give up! But sometimes I really want to. Also, if I have a chance for regular training and nothing is disturbing me I always work the best I can!
Wheel Sisters: What’s your favourite track and why?
Natalia: I was in lot of riding places. But the one I love most is called “Zalesie”, near my hometown. The area is Enduro Kingdom! Even The European and World Championship was organized there. The tracks there are my favourite because you can find everything what Cross-Country/Enduro riders dream about.
Wheel Sisters: Who is your motorsports hero or role model?
Natalia: I don’t have just one role model. There are so many riders that I admire and I can’t choose one. All of them are special in their own way but they have something in common… the strength and perseverance for trying to be better every day, every training. But to name a few of them, I would say Colton Haaker, Cody Webb or Sam Redman.
Wheel Sisters: What are you doing off the tracks?
Natalia: This year I’ll start graphic studies. For 12 years I was dancing. Also I did a lot of sprint running and long jump in the past. As a hobby I used to draw but now I’m too busy for that.
Wheel Sisters: What has had the biggest impact on improving your riding skills?
Natalia: I life for trying to be better in what I am doing and always improve my skills. For me it’s my way. Simple but true. And everything I’ve done I did only for me. I’m not riding for fame or something. Just for my pleasure.
Wheel Sisters: Although there seem to be more women becoming involved in motorsport, why do you think there are still so few? What can be done to encourage more?
Natalia: Maybe the fault is in the society. People think motorsports is only for men. But It’s not true. This is why women run away to “girly” things because for people it’s feels normal and correct. Parents teach children that cars are for boys and dolls for girls etc. And it’s saved in our minds as requirement.
Wheel Sisters: What advice would you give girls or women wanting to get into motorsport?
Natalia: Do what you want and what you love and never look for others. People always will criticize you. They are jealous and they are not so brave as you to starting something new and special.
Wheel Sisters: Have you experienced any sexism when racing, if so, how do you deal with it? Does it bother you?
Natalia: People are curious about motor girls. They like us but not like the riders. A men is excited by cars and women. They look at us as in sexual way most of the time. Also, people who are starting against us in competitions don’t really take us serious. They look down on us like little girls who do it for fun. They think that only men can fight with others and train hard and everything in sport is reserved for them. Some people also think that girls do it only to be more interesting for boys. That they just drive to share it on Facebook or Instagram. But usually is not true. Not everybody is the same and not everyone act this way. Some of us really want to be somebody in this “business” and do the best what they can!
Wheel Sisters: What are your sporting goals in the coming months or years?
Natalia: In the following months I want to again train regular like in the past. Generally I want to be the best rider in the world (laughs) but first in Poland.
No but serious now, I want to start in competitions because it’s the best training, to gain experience and have a lot of fun! My biggest MotoDream is standing on podium in a Mixed – Class Event!
Keep your fingers crossed! :-*
