We caught up with Alessandro Barbero hanging out in the Athlete Lounge, where he was busy playing ping pong. Anyone challenging him was about to discover in five minutes that it wasn’t going to end well for their ego. He can kill it on a Park course, but dude has serious table tennis skills too. After whipping us, he took a couple minutes to answer some questions.

Off the Course: Alessandro Barbero

How did you get so good at ping pong?
I have been playing for a really long time and I really like tennis, so it just a small scale version.

What inspires you to keep riding?
I had wanted to race Motocross and Supercross my entire life. Then, I started riding a bike and found it was similar to MX, so I continued riding.

What is your favorite part of Chicago?
It’s just huge and always changing. I also like how the river runs right through the middle.

What is your favorite part about the Dew Tour?
You just get to meet the best riders in the world and hang out with them—it’s just awesome.

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