On The Pegs January 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 1 | Page 82

On The Pegs
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strongest and my skills were at their peak during the 2004 season. That
year I won every round except one. I ended up with 73 career National
wins.
You and Pat both went to Europe for short periods but you never
took that leap that Bernie Schreiber did years ago.
I went to Europe several times when I first started getting serious about
being professional. I would travel abroad ride as many world and national
events as possible and when the money ran out I would come home. At
first it was discouraging because it was not a factory ride and it was dif-
ficult be competitive against the Europeans but I kept trying and my skills
improved. I was never able to commit to the full schedule and give it a
100% effort but I was able to learn and practice with the best and ulti-
mately it lead to US Championships and my current career path. No re-
grets.
Is going to Europe what it’s going to take to groom another Ameri-
can World Champion?
To have an American ever reach the top step of the world podium like
the great Bernie Schreiber would take a huge effort. First, the rider needs
to be something very special both in terms of riding skills and mentally. A
candidate would need to be winning the US Pro level at a very young age
approx 15-16 years. Then they would need unlimited family and factory
support. Next, commit to a 5-year plan to ride and live primarily in Spain
with the other top riders. Competing and practicing with the best riders
and teams is the only way to ever produce another world champion. It’s a
serious commitment and there are definitely no guarantees. It would take
a very special team of people and perfect situation to fight for an overall
world championship.
You are 46. How much longer are you going to race?
I am too stubborn to stop racing at this point haha. No really, my racing
future kind of depends on support. As long as I’m having fun and compa-
nies like RedBull and GasGas keep supporting my program I will continue
compete. n