August 2020 -- Vol 4 -- Issue 8 August 2020 | Page 198

On The Pegs 198
I haven’t competed pro in five years now, since 2015. But even then, all the
younger generation would be busy hopping and wasting all this energy. I was
just efficient. Now that I’m an enduro rider, I basically transferred over those
same techniques where it’s strong basics where you’re just more efficient on
the bike. It worked out, I think. My dad just really instilled that in me.
Talk about those years before and during your 2010 champion year.
In 2008 and 2009 I rode the four-stroke Sherco 320 or whatever that thing
was. That thing could wear you out. It was a little temperamental. I definitely
struggled those two years. I kind of just got over it. Maybe it was the age of my
life where I was just like, “Whatever.” I think I was working a little bit then maybe
too. I started working as a steam cleaner and heavy equipment. So I just had
a lot of other things going on.
I kind of started one day to realize I was overweight for what I should have
been. I was just struggling on that four-stroke. I literally couldn’t make any
splatter if there was no kicker. Everyone was just trying to tell me it was me and
not the bike. Then I basically signed with GasGas in 2010 and I was like, this is
going to be a make-or-break year. I was getting pretty deep in all the prerequisites
for engineering and school, and my dad with a little bit with EnduroCross
but he just rode the enduro bike for fun.
I just put in a valiant effort. At one point I was about 225 pounds and I got
down to about 180, under 180. It started in ’09. I started losing weight, just
because I was eating a little cleaner. Then I went on a summer trip. We’d do the
teen camp and everything with Sherco every year. I had a small salary so I was
just poor and cheap compared to the other kids. So I was just eating off the
dollar menu - I was just eating less food. Then I got home and I probably lost
well over 15 pnds in a couple months. I was like, this is easy. I can keep doing
this. Then I just started eating really clean and I would run a lot before I kind of
screwed up my feet. Now I don’t run at all anymore. It just hurts.
In 2010 I was like, this is my make or break year. I dominated pretty hard at
the trials. I definitely got in Pat Smage’s head because for a while there he was
riding so strong. I still think he was capable of beating me that year, but I just
rode so good. Mentally it was just on it for me. At that point, I was doing pretty
decent with EnduroCross too just because I was a lot fitter then. The last EnduroCross
race of the year, I just had a random magazine bike GasGas gave me
just for EnduroCross, because it was for fun for me and I podiumed the last race