Discover more about Juanan

Name: Juanan Martín

Date of Birth: January 23rd

City of birth: Barcelona, Spain

 

1. How did you become a member of the IMTBIKE family?

I was an old colleague of Martin, one of the veteran members in IMTBIKE. We both worked for a motorcycle magazine and we first met in 2005 during the presentation of a new motorcycle model. Ten years later I was looking for work and I was offered a job at IMTBIKE, in Barcelona´s office.

 

2. What do you always carry with you during a trip?

I´ve never had any rituals or superstitions before starting a tour, but ever since my daughter Alma was born, I always have a picture of her in the sleeve pocket of my motorcycle jacket. When we take a group picture I always try to include her.

 

3. What do you have for breakfast when you are on a trip?

I actually only have a quick bite, even though I should eat more. I´m barely hungry in the mornings, so I normally just have a quick glass of juice and a bit of cheese, and of course a warm coffee.

 

4. Do you have any rituals before starting a trip?

Every morning before we start riding, and when I´m on the bike, I kiss my daughter´s

 

5. Beer or wine?

Beer

 

6. Out of all the trips that you’ve done with IMTBIKE, which one was your favorite?

I love the Morocco & Southern Spain Tour. After riding for a week in one continent, you change to another one. After the first cultural impact of the first few days, you realize how similar Southern Europe is with Northern Africa, from the architecture to the language, and many other aspects.

 

7. What´s the funniest moment you had during a trip?

I find it funny now, when it was happening I actually didn’t. The night before crossing the border from Morocco into Spain I couldn’t find my passport, it had mysteriously vanished from the place I had left it. The group managed to cross the border through Ceuta with the other guide but I had to sleep in Tetuan in order to request a letter of safe passage in the Spanish consulate. The morning after, once I had the document, I walked through the border; it was raining cats and dogs, and of course I had also some other issues going through the border. I finally arrive at the Malaga Airport to catch the last flight of the day to Barcelona, and at 9 pm I landed. This was not the end of the day, when I arrive to Barcelona there were massive protests and chaos in the airport and there were many stranded passengers. So summing the whole day, I was trapped at two different borders and continents. I woke up at 6.30 am in Tetuan and I arrived home at 1 am. The only thing I ate in the whole day was a 2,50€ burger in the ferry crossing Gibraltar´s strait, and of course the crisps that were included with the burger.

 

8. What´s your favorite food?

Here I have a big dilemma, I don’t know if I prefer the “porra antequerana” (cold tomato soup) that my wife makes, or the one that my father-in-law makes.

 

9. What´s your favorite thing to do in your free time?

I can be a hyperactive person during my working hours, which makes me want to relax and enjoy my free time in a much more different way, like sitting down at a cafe watching people walk by while I enjoy a warm coffee. However the problem comes when I start making up stories about the people walking by to amuse myself.  My favorite thing would actually be playing with my daughter.

 

10. If you were able to meet a person, alive or dead, who would it be?

I´d love to meet Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. He has a very peculiar way of telling stories which I enjoy very much.

 

11. What do you think is the greatest invention of all time?

The baby bottle sterilizer for the microwave and the mobile phone, even though the smartphone has detracted it.

 

12. If you could be an animal, which one would you be?

A small animal with great cognitive capacity, I love finding out secrets. But if this wasn´t possible, I´d be any animal that can fly.

 

 13. If you had a time machine, where would you go?

I´d love to spend a day in an Italian city (Florence for example) during the 17^th century. But I’d only stay for a bit, because according to many people Middle Ages were not exactly like a day at Disneyland!

 

14. Who do you think is the best singer or band today?

Actually, I´m very into Joaquin Sabina and his 90´s music, specially the album called “Fisica y Quimica” that came out in 1992. He was a poet without claiming to be one. He displayed an ease to musicalize his lyrics, he would easily compose a waltz, rock and roll or even rap.

 

15. What do you on rainy days?

Have a towel ready at home for when I get back from walking my dog Otto.

 

16. What´s your favorite ice cream?

It´s hard to choose nowadays with the huge variety that’s available, however I´d choose cheesecake flavor.

 

17. What goes through your mind when you are riding a motorcycle?

The question would be what doesn’t go through my mind! When you ride on a tour you have to be at full mental capacity, your mind always has to be a few hours ahead of time, but at the same time, you need to pay full attention to the present, always anticipating what´s about to happen or what could happen.

 

18. What do you want to be when you are older?

An old guy with a lot of stories to tell; and of course, be happy with everything I´ve done and achieved in life.

 

19. What superpower would you like to have?

To stop smoking.

 

20. What country would you like to visit next?

I´d love to go to Japan with Haruki Murakami. Japan is a surrealistic country, although, at the same time, the country has a great sense of tradition and quality. It´s like if Salvador Dali and Diego Velazquez painted with the same hands.