Michele Bonacina: A Squalo on the Hunt

The Making of Michele

Bonacina’s answer to the pandemic was cycling. A short-distance road triathlete at the time, watching the ICU mountain bike world cup races inspired him to buy a mountain bike of his own. With only two years' experience riding off-road when he was a young child, Bonacina rediscovered the glory of dirt, and by the end of the pandemic, he had signed up for his first off-road triathlon.

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“Maxim Chane was even in my first race. We came out of the swim together. My coach Stefano, who knows Maxim, said to me, try to stay with him until the top of the climb, and then do what you can. We didn’t know what I could do on the mountain bike. I tried to stay with him, and at the end I was about 20 seconds behind him. I think he was very relaxed and I was all out,” he laughs.

“I stayed one hour and ten minutes near him, but then I didn’t see him on the run. But I finished second and first Italian. It was so fun, so I tried again at the Italian championship one month later and I won. So, I said, okay, maybe I can stay in the cross triathlon world and see what happens.”

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After 2021, when he made the switch to off-road, Bonacina found his way to the podium a year later and then the XTERRA World Cup podium when he finished third at Oak Mountain in 2023. He also claimed victory at Lake Scanno in 2023 and kicked off 2024 with an early season win in South Africa.

The Rise of Squalo

Along the way, Bonacina garnered a reputation—and a nickname— for his swimming prowess. Training with a swim squad and his years of racing short course road triathlon gave him an advantage in the water.  Bonacina often sets the pace at the front and is typically the first athlete out of the water.

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“It started two or three years ago in the Czech Republic and it was just a joke with Chun, the XTERRA announcer. He said to me: ‘If you come out of the water first again, I’m going to start calling you Squalo’.” 

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Bonacina was the first athlete out of the water that day and, upon exiting the water, put his hand up to his head to mimic a shark fin. There and then he became Squalo, the Italian name for shark.

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“It’s my sign—I like it.”

Tough Break

However, Bonacina didn’t even get in the water for the first race of the 2024 World Cup. Poised to have his best season to date, on a practice bike run the day before, he crashed on a downhill and fractured his radius. The wrist injury kept him from starting in Taiwan but only kept him from training for a mere five days.

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“When I crashed, I said, okay, it’s broken, but the important thing to do is keep strong on the bike and run. For swimming, I can train later, there’s no problem. I didn’t want to lose shape, so I started training at home.”

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Impressively, Bonacina got himself to the start line of Stop #2 of the World Cup in Greece only five weeks later. Coming out of the water amidst the front group, it was clear he wasn’t in top form, but Bonacina didn’t want another DNF to his name.

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“Every race counts for points, so I tried to do my best in Greece, but then there was a flat tire. It was like I tried to go, go, go, but there was something hitting me back.”

And the Hits Keep Coming

The second knock-back hit him hard.

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“After Greece, I started thinking it was harder than I thought to come back.”

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“From November to March, you prepare for the season, and then just one easy thing on the last day breaks your heart. So, it was quite hard.”

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Bonacina struggled but forged on. A double top 10 at Oak Mountain in the Full Distance and Short Track buoyed his spirits, but more plot twists in Belgium mitigated his progress. A canceled swim due to dangerous water heights and currents in the Meuse River turned the Belgium stop of the World Cup into a duathlon. Despite his many years as a triathlete, Bonacina had never raced the run-bike-run format—and hopes to never have to again.

“Belgium…that was not for me,” he sighs.

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Referencing his strongest discipline being cut from the race, the Italian explains, “The decision was to not have the swim, and it was like having my legs cut off. I never did a duathlon; even on the road I never did the classic duathlon, so it was my first—and it was the longest duathlon ever,” he laughs.

Keep Trying, Keep Trying

At this point in the season, no one would blame Bonacina for abandoning his goals. But while his results are not what he envisioned, he is still chasing the exact same target.

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“Last year I had a very good season, especially at the end, and the one goal that I thought about all winter was to start this season with the same feelings. It’s something that I couldn't do, but now I think it's coming back.”

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Even though the Squalo seems to be swimming upstream this season, he simply says:

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“You keep trying. You keep trying.”

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“Even if sometimes there are complicated moments, which I think is quite normal, during a race it’s always easier because I love to race. So, in training and every race I get a little better, I say, if it’s not now, then maybe in a few weeks.”

Québec Come Back

His persistent spirit is exactly what took him straight to the podium in Québec. At Stop #5 of the World Cup, Bonacina kicked off the weekend leading out of the swim and eventually finishing third in the Short Track.

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“I was just a little bit in front on the swim, but then we were together and I had a strong bike with Felix [Forissier]. I tried to stay with him; we wanted to help each other. He was helping me on the climb, and, on the first lap, I tried to help him on the downhill. But then I made a mistake on the pump track, and I lost some seconds. On the run, I tried to stay with Jens [Sloth Nielsen] as long as possible, but he was too fast. But I’m happy. I was so happy it was a good race.”

He followed up with a great performance in the Full Distance race. Leaving T2 with Arthur Serriers, Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, and Felix Forissier, Bonacina finished in sixth position, finally getting a result to reflect his efforts.

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“It was a bit hard for those months because I continued to train and I didn't see some results that I'd like to see. But the feeling that I can come back—I had this feeling completely in Québec.”

The Squalo is Coming

With only the penultimate stop of the World Cup series in Czech to go before heading into the World Championship on his home soil, Bonacina seems to be hitting his form just in time for a final attack.

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“Czech is different because it’s the only race where you start at one point and arrive at another. It’s fun because, oh, I love the downhill. And it’s spectacular because of the Short Track, the crowd, and the presentation of the elite athletes.”

Bonacina isn’t just excited to race, though; he finally seems healthy, fit, and ready.

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“I haven’t seen the start list yet, but I think Felix Forissier will be there in the swim because he is improving his swim, so he’s always in the front. I see at other races we are always in the same group, so I think he’s the one everyone has to look at.”

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“On the bike, there is a climb that is perfect for me, so I’d like to stay with the top guys. And then on the run, just go as fast as possible.”

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But the Squalo isn’t going to let Forissier have an easy ride on his feet in the swim, nor any other of his competitors. He smiles: “The Shark is coming.”

You can watch Michele Bonacina race the final three races of the World Cup live, starting with the Short Track races in Czech and Trentino, before he takes on the 2024 World Championship with the power of the home crowd behind him all the way.