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It came off weird to me but at the time but I thought that he was just private. Then he did the YouTube show about his truck and I was confused. Then he drove his gt3 to Glendale sx and discussed the car and I was confused. So it was all a bit confusing.
Guys, I know that was a super scary crash and the way he looked on that picture probably made everyone of us sick to our stomach and I understand that people want him to rather retire instead of risking it more but hear me out...
These dudes do nothing but riding/training & race dirt bikes since being a kid. There is a reason he didn't retire yet.. not only does he still feel like he could win (we have obviously seen that in SX this year) but it's also not that easy to just stop with something you did your whole life. And not only that, despite losing the SX title this year in the second half of the season, Tomac in interviews looked like he enjoyed this thing more than ever and he's just happy to be out there? So when people say: "Retire Tomac, you owe the fans nothing", he's not doing it for the fans or for the legacy. He does it because it fulfills him.
Also look at Barcia for example. That dude nearly got killed early in SX. And the way he came back? immediately looking like the old Bam Bam in his first race back riding his heart out for a damn heat race win.
From KTM USA: "Eli Tomac will sit out the upcoming rounds of AMA Pro Motocross while recovering from his neck injury sustained at the Fox Raceway National. Scans this week confirmed a hyperextended ligament and partially torn muscle, requiring the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider to take time out from racing. Heal up, ET3 – we look forward to having you back at the races! "
Damn sounds painful.
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I guess that sucks in one way, and is good news in another. Could have been worse. These injuries are probably getting old to him. Wish him well.
I wonder if he'll be interested in trying the Alpinestars Tech Air MX?
Can you guys stop trying to retire the guy? Sometimes you have a little bad luck. It’s not like he’s gotten senile or something and forgot where the brake lever was.
Everyone just wants to tell everyone what to do. It seems to be human nature. I hope he comes back soon.
At what point is the juice not worth the squeeze. He's got a family , this one is a neck injury that very easily could have been worse.
I know you have an obsession with the idea that age doesn't matter - but it really does.
He's getting injured more and more often and recovery gets harder as he ages.
Do you ride currently?
I don't get the correlation. So you have a crash and 'almost' get hurt badly. That then means the next crash you will for sure get hurt badly? Should he stop riding altogether then? What about riding a mountain bike? Heck, you could get hurt really badly doing that. No MTB either? And he rides horses too. Christopher Reeve?
Sure do, and I accept risk.
I know what you're getting at, anything could happen at any time. He's just had a few in a row now, and like I'd said, it could have been worse.
Age matters, but not so much in your early 30s. It matters more as we age, but it's also used too much as an excuse to not get off the couch, and put in the work.
At 64, what I know is that if I lift weights hard, I get stronger. If I push myself with cardio, I get faster, and more endurance.
As long as those 2 things are true, age doesn't matter very much. In early 30s, it didn't seem to matter at all.
I totally agree he's had a bad run of luck and could have been way worse!
I do believe guys at this level know when to step away and back it down dungey's a good example.
And then you have thing like what happened to Kyle partridge that just don't seem fair but it is a risk we all take.
Agree with everything you've said.
I dont think some of the peeps on here get it....Shall I post the Apollo Creed Warriors speech again? ET is a warrior! He loves the challenge and in particular racing those Lawrences....gotta love that!
So will we see Eli at any of the rounds for PR purposes or will it be crickets again?
Yeah completely understandable that it would be hard to go "cold turkey" and hang it up for anyone yet alone these elite guys who can win at any given moment. Dung even got the itch and came back and did great. Best on the KTM team at the time actually.
In my opinion an ideal scenario would be to mirror Kenny's program. Stay active, stay stimulated, involved, minimise risk and extend the career and fan service.
Pit Row
Hard to say. I was riding at my local track tonight and there was a somewhat sketchy ski jump into a double double section but my 48 year old self couldn’t help but figure it out.
Sometimes it’s more than money.
No but at some point the reflexes and mental capacity and even physical capabilities deteriorate to the point where you can’t do what you used to do. I think most people hope a guy in Eli’s position, who has pushed his longevity well past the vast majority of riders, doesn’t end up with a life changing injury when there’s nothing more to accomplish.
You can die on the drive to Walmart buddy. Why don’t you suggest the rest of the field call it quits? Why don’t you quit riding? Be less gay lol😂😂😂😂
There’s always more to accomplish. You and Eli are very different people.
Firstly, the point of my post is that no-one is immune to getting older and having diminished capabilities, Eli is no exception. I have no idea what Eli's goals are with racing right now, other than to say I think his chances of more titles are extremely low. If his goal is to win another title then I would venture to say that he might be pushing himself beyond his capabilities and thus opening himself up to more crashes and injuries. How that fits into his acceptable level of risk is entirely his own business.
Just on the point of accomplishments - Eli has won pretty much everything there is to win as far as titles go; he has all the boxes ticked. He probably still has race wins left in him, although that is getting harder too, and more likely in supercross than motocross. Last year he only won two motos and no overalls in MX. Maybe his goal is to get to a certain number of starts, or maybe he just likes racing?
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