Lionel Scaloni participated in a cycling competition in Mallorca

Lionel Scaloni was part of the Mallorca 312 this Saturday, a cycling competition held on the island where he lives. The coach of the Argentina National Team participated in the 167-kilometer (104 miles) category and finished in 17th place, with a time of 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 11 seconds, 16 minutes behind the winner.

After finishing the race, he talked about the difficulties he encountered during the course. "I improved in time. Thanks to two guys from Lloseta who gave me a hand in the flat part," the coach recounted. He also added: "I managed to lower the time a bit and honestly very good. It started with bad rain and then unbelievable."

The origin of a hobby

Lionel Scaloni has a great passion besides soccer: cycling. This activity he discovered after his retirement as a player and which ended up spreading to the National Team.

When the Santa Fe native retired as a footballer in 2015, he was advised that to control anxiety and stay in shape in a way different from playing soccer, he should turn to cycling, advice he followed to the letter.

"I'm very hyperactive. You shouldn't grieve in your living room, on the couch, otherwise, you're screwed. When I retired, I grabbed the bike, went cycling for four hours, and came back exhausted. I didn't have time to think that I had left soccer," he once said.

After settling in Mallorca, Spain, with his wife and two children, the world champion coach adopted the bicycle almost as his main means of transportation.

The time he was hit

In April 2019, the coach of the Argentina National Team was hit by a car while accompanying his children to school, when a vehicle made a risky reverse maneuver, climbed onto the sidewalk, and hit his bicycle. Due to the impact, he fell headfirst to the ground, which caused him a facial trauma, multiple contusions, and numerous abrasions, although nothing was serious.