Stepping away from the sport (Average Joe edition)

I'm kind of at that point right now.

I've been riding a lot of MTB and haven't had the urge to ride moto at all. The thought of selling my bike has actually crossed my mind but I decided to keep it for that 1-2 times a year I feel like riding at this point.

I've been around this sport most of my life, starting back in the mid-70's
Raced for years, but as teens and young adults can do, weed, women and pussy got in the way.
So, I stepped away entirely for a couple years.
I got back into it, but not riding, just working at the tracks, mostly being a flagger
Then few years later, decided to start racing again. I can't "just ride." I don't know how anyone does that. "Just ride" is something I can't wrap my head around, I want to go as fast as I can, hit my marks and if I'm not in a race, I'm racing myself. I just can't cruise and go slow. It's not in me. I see people on jet skis/PWC's just zipping all over and I think "How fucking boring is that? I'd need a few bouys to go around and set up a course. Just going around willy nilly is boring"
Blame my ADD/ADHD/OCD/ABCDEFG/XYZ+INFINITY..whatever

Point is, I can't just cruise, like Ricky Bobby, I gotta go fast, and with that, comes crashing

Being a father, husband, food and housing provider, working is kind of important and with my return to racing came the return of injuries and with that, two knee injuries and surgeries about 12 months apart. No one was happy. Me, my wife, my boss. One legged dress pants with a tie isn't cool with too many bosses, ya know?

At the same time, I was working at a local track being the announcer, so while I wasn't racing or riding, I was involved, very involved. I ran the whole show for the most part on practice nights and on race days. I knew everyone, talked with everyone. Gave advice. I was able to give riding and racing tips, because I saw everyone riding, I knew more about their riding and habits than they did. I knew more about their competition than they did, so I was pretty involved.

I wasn't racing, but I was in the sport, it was in my life and a large part of it

Then I started my business, and while I had to back away from my local duties, I became involved on a more national, and even international, level.

I guess what I am trying to say is, you don't have to walk away completely. Just because you're no longer riding or racing, doesn't mean you can't be involved, that you can't still be a part of it. You can become an important part of it. You can make yourself an educated scholar of your local racing.

Become a flagger. Work your way to becoming the head flagger, or at least a part time head flagger, then the #1 jump flagger, the guy they put on the biggest jump or most visible point on the track to oversea all.
Offer to help run practice days/nights. Help keep the pit area clean, and riders from pit racing.
Help keep the property safe for all.
Pay will be shit, but who cares, it's about being there and being part of this big stupid family

There's a LOT of people on here who knew me back when I was the guy at Pepsi/Air Dania in Ft Lauderdale pretty much running the show. I did the riders meeting, call the races to staging, called the races, interviewed riders and yelled at assholes breaking the rules or for being assholes....I think I did a decent job

But I was still involved in the sport, even though I wasn't riding or racing

You may quit riding, but you don't have to walk away from being involved. Every track needs good flaggers and good help.

I know how you feel. I have stepped in and out a few times in my 50 years. It has been a really long time since I didn't have a bike but in my early 20's, there were a couple of short periods. More often, I was just preoccupied with other things and the bike sat. Fortunately, I have a bunch of friends who moto and that makes it easier to get back into it.
Assuming that your bike isn't a financial burden, I would suggest that you keep it because, you will most likely get the itch sooner rather than later.

Here's a mental tip...don't call it anything. Don't call it walking away, don't call it a hiatus, don't call it quitting, retirement or anything of the sort. You were, you are and you always will be a rider, a member of the tribe, etc. How many times you swing a leg over a bike per year doesn't matter. Priorities change, that's life. Don't trip on that. Go with with the flow.

I just decided to quit a few months ago at 34. I’ve been riding/racing since I was 10. I’ve quit a few times for like a month or so, but never sold my gear. This time I sold my gear lol

I haven’t been riding a ton anyways since my 7 and 12 year old sons race. Recovering from acl and wrist surgery now and that was enough for me to quit.

If I didn’t have my boys involved, not sure if I’d give it up. Love going to the track. Luckily still at the track every week and can live threw them. Will be at Loretta’s with them in August!

I tuned 50 min March.
I stopped riding a couple of years ago because my older son was deployed and my younger son didn't want to ride anymore, so I lost my riding buddies. Then my younger son decide to ride again, and all was great until 9 months ago.
9 months ago, I broke my femur in a lame loop out. I was determined to keep riding. Well, 8 months to the day later, my front end washed out in a sweeping corner and my head lawn darted into the sand/dirt. Long story short, I broke the base of my skull right where is meets my C1. I am about as lucky as one can get. Absolutely no affects from it, besides head aches, which I attribute to a concussion. I'm in a cervical collar for 10 weeks.
I had 3 possible outcomes. 1) death because it could have snapped my spine and severed the spinal cord. 2) Quadriplegic. 3) The way it came out.
This was my sign to officially hang it up. I sold my bike 10 days later. Now my older son, who does want to ride is out of state until mid 2021 and my younger son still wants to ride. I told him I'd be his pit bitch, but I'm done riding. I just can't chance it considering I had two very serious injuries in what I consider simple crashes. Hell, I never left the ground in either case.

^^ What he said

Don't even worry about it, sometimes you need to handle other shit for awhile. You'll be back,
You're a lifer you just don't know it yet

I don't get the worth it part. I worry more about driving down the road than I ever so on the bike..

I started riding 2 years ago after an 11 years hiatus. I raced good amateur level trough whole Europe back in the days. I had to stop because a very stupid crash dislocated my shoulder en damaged a nerve. My shoulder is around 60% now with very little strenght at certain positions. All the muscles around it schrunk. And from time to time it hurts. 2 years after the crash i picked up mountainbike racing. I wanted to start faster but i could not ride for more than 15 minutes before my shoulder started to hurt like hell in cycling position. Took allmost 2 years. When i was mentaly done with all the training for cycling 2 years back i was curious if i could ride a friends YZ250 2 stroke. Because i need something to keep my mind sane and happy. I felt i was done with cycling so needed a new hobby. We went one day to trie and ride a sandtrack. The days before i thought i was not able to complete one lap with decent riding. But after 20 meters it felt good and i was riding well all day if you keep in mind i had not trow a leg over a dirtbike for more than 11 years. Inmediately loved it again. From that day on i was hooked with riding dirtbikes. (I still followed everything on internet and magazines for all those years, i still loved it but i never thought off riding myself ever again for a very long time). Long story short: 🤣 i bought my friends bike and some other bikes in those 2 years. New gear and other stuff and i ride every weekend. Just for fun with some buddy's and old friends, but no racing. I'm over that. I tried a yz450 but full on 2 strokes now. And loving it more than ever. My shoulder does not hold me back when riding but i hurt it 2 times now in small tip overs. Its very fragile and it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get a level i can use my arm and ride again and about three months to get it where i was. But i take that for granted. Im 40 years old now and want to ride as long as possible. Moral of the story: you never know when you love to ride again

I got out of dirtbiking for a bit just because of how much effort it took. Got into mountain biking since I can do it way more often, less effort, don’t have to drive. But now I’m back on the moto! I suggest getting a mountain bike so you can stay with two wheels one way or another

As someone knocking on 50 in about 6 months, I can't help but laugh a little.

Today, I am full in with dual sport/ADV riding, hitting up the BDR trails, rode the TAT last year etc.... just cruising, camping off the bike, seeing and experiencing lots of unbelievable scenery, people and trails.

2 years ago I was having back to back surgeries on a few broken bones. It is the price of admission some times unfortunately, but for me, the risk is worth it.

My advice........

Don't make it so serious. Just do whatever the fuck makes you happy and don't look back.

The best part, you can always change your mind.

I backed out for a couple years when my FD career started. No riding racing during the academy and 1 year probation. Shit I crashed 2 weeks before the academy and thought I broke some ribs but it was just a healthy rib cage shot. Backed out again during paramedic training and then when I got married and kids came along. The wife and kids were never a barrier to riding and racing, it was a choice I made. I backed off for like 6 months during promotional processes and of course there were those injured times. Now I've been riding a couple times a week with some other old farts and race maybe 8-10 times a year. It isn't a pressure thing to me anymore, it's just I'm not old enough for golf yet (63).
If you are over the sport then so long. If you have to shift priorities then good on you, you are now adulting. Check back in with us in 4-5 years.

I'm 63 and having a blast riding mx with my buddies. Don't race much but love ride days. I also have slowed down and don't take the chances I used to.
I too have been in and out of the sport over the years for various reasons. But I love it so I always came back. I never could find anything to replace it long term.

That said, do whats best for you and your family. As many have said here, you can always get back in when the time is right.

My buddy and I have been best friends since we were 12 and always were moto fans, we rode all the time at each others houses and wherever we could, but rarely at tracks because we were young and it was out of the way to go ride.

Fast forward to our senior year in high school we were both 18, I bought a van and we rode every weekend and spent all of our money just to go ride at practice days. About a month or 2 before graduation he was ripping around a corner and the back wheel caught, threw him off and snapped his spine in 2 places. He was paralyzed from the waist down and took months to actually be able to feel his legs again. We're both almost 21 currently, he is still in a wheelchair and cant walk or move his legs. I pushed him across the gym for graduation and probably got the loudest and best walk anyone has ever had at my school, which was a good memory given the circumstances.

I sold my bike a month or two later and don't regret it at all. I still ride mtb's, downhill, and have a street bike, but my moto days are pretty much over if you ask me. The same people I rode with 5 years ago with my brother and his buddies all sold their bikes and ride mtb. Mostly because of cost and just having a family, but it's just not the same sport anymore around here, unfortunately.

I question all the time if it was worth it to chase it as much as we did, for one of us to never be the same again and blow all of our money. Just to try to get good enough to maybe get top 3 in a C class race. We had a blast while it lasted but unfortunately we had a wake-up call you cant fix over time.

Although I will always love moto, mountain bikes nowadays just are the way to go. Easier to go out and ride with friends, cheaper (longterm), you see amazing views and trails, get the same adrenaline rush, its ALOT more accessible, and usually safer.

Sometimes I wish we went the mtb route instead because of many reasons, but we chased something we wanted to half our lives. Sometimes all it takes is a day of weighing your pros and cons and pick a sport, and that's what I did.

I’m currently taking a break. I’m 25 (I think) broke my wrist in December, took my bike apart during recovery and haven’t even put a single bolt back in. Was only riding about once a month before now I haven’t even been once this year. Got a house, married, and my main riding buddy’s wife is having twins later this year. Riding just don’t seem all that important right now.

If you don't want to ride, don't. I have a feeling you'll want to soon enough.

Be honest, if you just want to ride when you feel like it, wash the bike and throw it in the back of the garage, and stick a clean filter in it when you pull it out.. i hate wrenching, just want to race. I dont even want to ride unless there is a gate drop. Best advice is dint sell it all off.. just sit on it and use the bike when you feel you need to... i know guys who have spent $7k on getting back to where they were to sell it all again... plant foundations for your future, but dont lose the past

In the last ~5 ish years I've lost probably... 5-6 riding buddies due to life changing for them (wife, kids, moving away, injury). I'm 40 now with wife and a kid on the way, so I've reduced my risk(s). I don't race or ride main tracks, and if I'm not feeling good that day (tired, sore, etc) I just focus on a turn or area of the track to work on.

Some days the jumps/lips are more rutty or bucky and I'll just roll/scrub everything. Rarely do I push myself to "make the jump" now. I never really cared to be the fastest guy out there, just really enjoyed being on motorcycle turning and jumping where I can. Plus, "man-socializing" in the pits! haha

I think as dudes, we're competitive (with ourselves, and with others) but as life priorities change, you have to really work to reel that in. One of the hardest things in life I think is aging and looking back at what you were capable of in your 20's and early 30's.

Many familiar stories to mine. I did not start racing until I was 25. I had ridden tracks before, but no gate drops.
I had a bad 4 year run of injuries from 2010 to 2014. I still rode track until 2017 and quit again for 3 years.
I got back into it in February and like to think I have found the balance of feeding my disease without the "big one".
I recently picked up a newish 350 and agree that I never have to use the R word at 58.

I quit at 22, bought a bike again at 30, started racing again at 32........If it's in your blood you can never really quit. I tried surfing skiing and racing karts, nothing replaces the feeling you get on a bike. Take a few years off and see what happens....That saying "you never forget how to ride" is bullshit by the way. Haha

Right there with you! I personally walked away once. Traded in my bike for a street bike and sold off all my gear besides boots and a helmet. Months later I sold my street bike and went back to the same dealership and re-purchased my old bike haha! I'm 32, two kids, married, with a full time career. At my stage now I have come to understand I am not going to be the fastest guy at the track, or even close. However, I'll be damned if I don't love every second I am there! I have also come to learn lately that I am starting to think about consequences more than ever, which definitely makes me push less and THAT IS OK! Have fun with it! For the mass majority of us it's a hobby and should be treated as such.

I would echo to not sell your gear, like others have advised.

It's a lot easier to jump back in down the road if you don't have to drop a ton of $$$ upfront just to be ready to ride.

Never ride scared

Ever

I think a majority of people have been where you are. Ive been riding and racing since I was 4 and I still love this sport to death I got seriously into it from about 14-19 then joined the army got married had a kid did all that stuff when I got out of the army I decided it was time to ride again and that time I took it very serious. Ended up racing local stuff I was 22 by 23 I did local pro stuff went to mammoth and did the 1st year of the 125 dream races I had a blast. Then it kinda just stopped at around 25 years old no reason. I still have a 450 I’ve put maybe 20 hours on in 2 years and most of that was in the first month I owned. For me now I’m 27 I enjoy hanging out with the wife and kid and riding the MTB I still get the itch to ride and do it here and there. But its one of those things were always gonna have it in us I think its good to step away that way when you do come back you appreciate much more.