A life on two wheels
Laia’s story is much more than a story of overcoming the odds. When she was only two years old, she was already riding a bicycle and her father rode her around in his motorcycle. When she was four, her brother lent her his motorcycle, a Montesta Cota 25, and she became obsessed with the world of motorcycles.
It was then that she decided to put all her energy into a sport that was almost completely dominated by men. She debuted at seven years old, making her way in male competitions with boys older than her. At that time, she never felt any different from her peers, although on more than one occasion she heard one of the parents say “Don’t let Laia beat you!” behind their backs.
In 1997, at 11 years old, she had her first victory, and in 2000, her first national trial championship. This was the start of a time full of successes, and by 2004, she came to the Repsol Montesa team and was on the team at the same time as her idol Dougie Lampkin. Laia stayed with Repsol until 2011 when she participated for the first time in the Dakar Rally, winning in the women’s motorcycle category and also renewing her world and European trial titles.
Currently she continues competing in the Dakar races with the little medal of Saint Anthony that her grandmother gave her when she almost died from getting run over when she was little. Her 13 world women’s trial titles, 10 European women’s trial titles, 5 world women's enduro titles, and more than 15 awards have gained her the respect of legendary drivers in her category such as Toni Bou (whom she beat in her first races in Catalonia), and have given her recognition as the Queen of the Trial.