Photo by Shan Moore
As the wife of Mike Alessi, Danielle Alessi lives a life of constant travel, time at the practice track and work to support her husband. We sat down with #800’s better half to talk about her life with Mike and what it’s like to be married to one of the fastest racers in the business.
How long have you been together?
We have been together 10 years and married for one year
What does your day-to-day consist of?
I make Mike’s breakfast. I take care of Mike’s nutrition and everything he eats. I make sure he is eating healthy and constantly looking for ways to keep his body up and going. I run the day-to-day stuff that doesn’t include riding. When he wakes up he checks his heart rate and weight and if the numbers don’t match up it’s my job to know why and to fix it.
Is there a certain diet Mike is on?
Yes, Mike is very strict on his diet. We started out on a trial and error process on what foods were good for him and we found out that dairy wasn’t good for him, same with steak and pork. Mostly, those foods do not help him recover (which is bad) so he eats lots of fish and takes Hammer nutrition supplements. Being a wife to a motocross rider is different than being a wife to a normal nine-to-fiveguy. You have to be a little different. Basically, his life becomes your life.
Do you ever have to time for yourself?
Mike and I have been together a long time and we grew up together. My dad raced desert when I was younger so I have been around the sport a long time before that also. I went to college and did my schooling but Mike and I also talked about our goals and our future. I knew I would have to sacrifice more than he would but I wanted to do it. If I didn’t want to sacrifice I wouldn’t have dived into this with him. I do have time to myself from time to time. I’m not a big high maintenance girl so doing this everyday is really no big deal and it’s what I love to do.
Do you ride at all?
Yes, I ride and know how to ride and I will from time to time when time permits. We still go camping with my parents on Easter out in the desert but it’s hard to get time with all the travel.
Do you plan on having kids?
Yes, we do plan on having them but I don’t see us having any for another five to eight years. We’re both 25 and will not have them until we are at least 30. I figured that would be a good age.
What is Mike’s best attribute as a man?
He is an honest person. He will tell you to your face if he likes something or doesn’t. If he doesn’t like something on me he will let me know. If we have an issue, he is the first one to come up and say, ‘This is bothering me and we should talk this out.’ We, maybe in our 10 years, have had two fights and he was always the one to come and say we need to figure this out and get past this even if it wasn’t his fault.
What is Mikes worst attribute as a man?
He gets down on himself too much. He is very hard on himself and maybe too critical of some things. I’m a very positive person and always try to see the bright side in things. Being a racer is hard and sometimes when you’re having a bad day it’s hard to get past. I really try to make him see that sometimes it’s not that bad.
What do you think of some of the girls out there in motocross industry?
I’m not a big fan of some of the girlfriends or wives out there. The industry we’re in, racers are looked at like rock stars. I really don’t have a lot of girlfriends that are in the industry because I don’t feel like they are there to love and support their boyfriend or husband. Some girls out there, if their guy is not doing well they’re on to the next. If Mike wanted to do something different tomorrow I would be there to support him and be right by his side in what ever he chooses. I’m not here to say what is best for them I just know how I am and I love Mike Alessi the man, not the famous racer.
