By Paul Harvey
What is it like to push a motocross bike up to the line at a pro-level class? You make sure your gas is on. And you look up and down the line at the other 39 people and their motocross bikes. You look at the brands. There is Yamaha and Honda, Maico, Husqvarna, Suzuki, etc. The two-minute sign comes up, everybody starts their engines, the cacophony starts. All those engines, with different sounds, are suddenly resident. So now you ready yourself for the start. You make sure your motorcycle -- your steed -- is ready to go as fast as possible. You recognize that the other 39 motocrossers are ready for the same. Then the gate drops. The unpredictable chaos hopefully gets you through the first turn, and then you can conduct your race. Now it's a matter of knowing your lines and performing. The harsh reality is knowing that a tenth of a second lost on cutting a corner or missing a jump is time lost unless you're good enough to be the winner.
What is it like to push a motocross bike up to the line at a pro-level class? You make sure your gas is on. And you look up and down the line at the other 39 people and their motocross bikes. You look at the brands. There is Yamaha and Honda, Maico, Husqvarna, Suzuki, etc. The two-minute sign comes up, everybody starts their engines, the cacophony starts. All those engines, with different sounds, are suddenly resident. So now you ready yourself for the start. You make sure your motorcycle -- your steed -- is ready to go as fast as possible. You recognize that the other 39 motocrossers are ready for the same. Then the gate drops. The unpredictable chaos hopefully gets you through the first turn, and then you can conduct your race. Now it's a matter of knowing your lines and performing. The harsh reality is knowing that a tenth of a second lost on cutting a corner or missing a jump is time lost unless you're good enough to be the winner.
As you fight through the fatigue and the sweat of pursuing being as fast as possible, and challenging your fears of crashing, you ride the fine edge and then you define how fast you are. The exhaustion is exhilarating. The adage is, when the flag drops, the bullshit stops.
Motocross is like any other endeavor in life: It's a matter of commitment, understanding, and challenging ourselves. We must seek risk. We must.
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