On The Pegs February 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 2 | Page 54

On The Pegs
P 54
On The Pegs
Vol. 4 Issue 2 - February 2019
P 55
How is your training different for for WORCS and Dakar than it was for su-
percross, your conditioning and your training routine?
Motocross and supercross are so specialized it’s really one-dimensional. It’s so
cookie-cutter. You can tailor a training program and then structure it so you know
where you’re at and it’s really clear. With rally, it’s really broad. You have to have
good strength. You have to be prepared enough to crash, strong enough. You
don’t want to be really skinny and lean because then you break. If you get sick in
these third world countries on day one or day two of the fourteen-day race, then
you’re in big trouble. You’ve got to be able to pick up a really heavy bike, full of
fuel, when you crash in the dunes or wrestle it down or whatever. It’s just different.
You have to know how your body responds under stress for multiple days in a row,
where supercross it’s one day that you have to peak on and show up and perform.
So this is completely different. That’s what I love about it. I did motocross and su-
percross for 17 years. That was a dream of mine. After that it’s kind of like, ‘What’s
next?’ I don’t want to say there’s a void in your life when you stop racing, but it’s
really difficult. With this, I don’t want to say it’s a cool hobby, but it’s a cool transi-
tion to move into and have that excitement and passion again about something
new and be like a kid again riding dirt bikes. I love that. But it’s completely different
how you train for that. For WORCS, it’s something for me that I was able to help out
Husqvarna in the US. So I’m just kind of showing up to it with the mentality to have
fun. Hopefully my roots from motocross help me in that area, and also keep some
intensity in my rally racing as well.
Are you doing more endurance training for Dakar? Surely you’re not keep-
ing up the same routine you had for supercross.
No, not even close. Honestly, a lot of the time is just being able to ride the bike for
a long day and being able to navigate and keeping your brain sharp. When you get
tired, if you make a navigation mistake, it’s a big deal when you go ten minutes the
wrong way at 100 miles an hour. You’ve covered a long distance in the wrong direc-
tion. All it takes is one simple mistake. That’s why I say it’s multi-dimensional and
you have to be ready for the unexpected. With WORCS, I don’t even really know
how to train. I haven’t raced one yet, so I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.
I’m just hoping to have some fun on a dirt bike.
So as far as technique, Dakar versus supercross, is there a difference?
No. I have the technical skills and I can ride a bike fast. There’s no doubt about
that. But these guys, they can read their terrain. There’s a specific technique to rid-