Cycling without leaving the garden, epic duels on the sofa and creative training exercises. Add in lots of family time and you have “The Recipe of Good Confinement” by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Augusto Fernandez.

How are you and how are you coping with this current situation?

“I’m feeling good. I’m spending this period at home with my family and we are all trying to manage it as best as possible. I won’t deny that it’s starting to get a bit tough, but you have to arm yourself with patience, positive energy and pull yourself through.”

What has changed most in your routine?

“The biggest change is obviously the limited movement that being unable to ride a bike means. That is something that is present always in my usual routine when we are not at the Grand Prix. Apart from this my day-to-day has not changed that much. The only thing is that I normally train in the gym with my trainer, but I try to continue with similar work at home. On a more personal level, I miss the moments with my friends, going out and so on.”

What do you take away from this situation and what is the most difficult thing for you?

“In my case, the best thing is at the same time what is most difficult for me. Having quality time at home to do those things we don’t usually have time for and to be with the family is the best thing I get out of this strange situation. However, having to be locked up at home is what is costing me the most because we already started the season and I had a crazy desire to race. We have to stay positive and enjoy these days at home because soon we will be immersed in our life as a globetrotter again.”

Have you discovered any new skills during your confinement?

“I play a lot of video games with friends and I’ve realised that I’m not very good at war games and fights. I always lose in these games, but sports games like MotoGP and football I am much better and I usually beat them.”

Social media is burning with millions of challenges… Any fun or funny ones you’ve done?

“It’s true that there are a lot of them and they are a lot of fun! Maybe, of all of them, the one I liked the most was the one where you had to keep kicking the toilet roll without it touching the floor. I had to practice getting it right for the moment of truth! Then I nominated my brother and the poor roll ended up destroyed! We had fun with that challenge.”

Recommend us…

. A book: ‘Without fear of falling’, by Xavi Torres

. A movie: ‘The pursuit of happiness’

. A series: ‘The Day Less Thoughtful’.

. Music: Hip Hop or pop like Travis Scott and Justin Bieber,

. A distraction for moments of boredom: A good video game

. A social media account to follow: Those of a certain Augusto Fernandez are not bad

How are you training and have you had to resort to any unusual methods to stay in shape?

“I’m training as much as I can. I ride my bike a lot using the roller. I like it because, despite being static, it simulates very well the sensation of movement and it seems that you are riding outside. For strength training I use some weights that I already had around the house and I get inventive when I need to increase the weight. I use and lift everything I can find from carafes, pots, and water jugs.”

Is it hard to maintain your level of training and concentration when you don’t know when everything will be back to normal? How do you manage it mentally?

“The hardest part is not knowing when everything will be back to normal. We are not training technically on the bike and that is the most difficult thing to do and what I really miss. I try to follow a fixed training routine to keep fit and to help the days go by more smoothly. I work by objectives. For example, right now, the first Grand Prix is due to be in Germany, so I’m preparing for that. If they postpone it? Well, I will focus on the next one and prepare for that as best as possible.”

What is your assessment of the first GP in Qatar?

“It was a big pity about the crash because I had a very good feeling with the bike and I think I could have done a very good race. We had taken a very important step with respect to the tests and the package of bike, team and rider was ready to go. That’s why I was so angry to have to paused the season because we had found a good rhythm and everything was starting to flow.”

How do you see Moto2 this year now that everybody has raced for the first time?

“The season will be as I imagined it. The category will be very tight and without much room for mistakes. The favourite riders will be very strong and there will be other names that will surprise us.”

Which names feature on your radar as the strongest?

“It’s too early to make any real predictions yet as it always takes a few races before you can understand everybody’s potential, but there are plenty of riders on the radar. There is Marini, Martin, Navarro, Bastianini, Nagashima, who is the current leader, with Luthi and Gardner. There are many and we must be one of them. I am looking forward to resuming the competition and continuing our work, as I am very happy with how things are going with the whole team.”