MX Confidential - dirtbikes and Doctors

I was searching an old computer hard drive and came across this Op/Ed I wrote and posted on the old motodrive board in June 2004 and decided to share it again

Motocross Confidential: Dirt Bikes & Doctors


How long can you go without riding before your mental health begins to deteriorate? Do you ever wonder how you got to this place where riding Motocross has become as necessary to your well being as oxygen or water? Before today, I never realized that my need to participate in the sport of Motocross had actually become part of my soul.

I was driving home from my first ride after a four month injury induced sabbatical when I realized that my outlook on life had shifted 180 degrees for the positive. I thought to myself “this is incredible, I have been so busy rehabilitating my broken foot I didn’t perceive the dark cloud of stress and anxiety that had slowly crept over my mind - one day of riding and I feel hope for the future again? Too weird!” This realization immediately prompted an inner debate between my mind and the good angel/bad angel perched on each shoulder; the good angel starts by telling me “man, you must be crazy, you just spent four months in the worst pain of your life! You still walk with a limp and need to quit this sport!” Seeing this opening the bad angel laughs and reminds me that my injury did indeed occur while I was riding. Of course my mind objects to this reasoning: “hey, it was a freak accident and I didn’t even crash. Besides, I haven’t had a serious injury in four years!” (That statement alone should tell you it’s beyond my control) The good angel’s not buying my line: “you’re too old he replies, you have a family to take care of and you can’t afford another injury!” I’m not sure if my next thought was actually mine or from the bad angel, but I’m thinking to myself “how could I possibly quit riding, isn’t my positive attitude adjustment after just one day back proof that Motocross is good for me?”
Obviously, this debate didn’t end here but . . . If you happen to be at the track next weekend, come introduce yourself, I’ll be under the blue EZ up icing my foot between moto’s.

Now if you’re reading this and you’re a Motocrosser then it makes perfect sense, but if you don’t ride then you may be wondering if I could possibly benefit from a frontal lobotomy. Seriously, I know this! Motocrosser’s have a better chance of winning the State Lottery jackpot than we do of making any money riding, and everyone knows that if you ride long enough you will end up injured or worse. So why do we do it, why do we spend tens of thousands of dollars on dirt bikes and doctors, not to mention the sweat and tears shed trying to comeback from these injuries - just so we can ride again?

The answer is simple: Motocross is an addiction – according to Webster’s Dictionary we’re addicts: to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively. For most of us the addiction is psychological; Motocross requires 110% of your attention and is so mentally demanding that the world, with all its stress and anxiety, disappears while you’re riding. The only thing you think about while you’re on the track is the next jump or turn. Riding is an escape from the real world and a total release from reality. Think about it, no self-destructive drugs or alcohol in order to escape your responsibilities for an afternoon – just another reason to ride! The psychology behind the thrill and gratification of successfully landing a do or die 90-foot jump is beyond my ability to articulate. The personal satisfaction that comes from totally conquering every obstacle on a modern Motocross track is immense. Suffice it to say that if you gave a Motocrosser the choice between riding or having sex his reply would probably be “what track are we talking about?”

Motocrossers come in all ages and abilities. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been riding your whole life or two years. Doesn’t matter if you’re an expert or beginner because once this sport gets under your skin you’re done. And if you get hurt riding don’t expect any sympathy from outsiders – as soon as they hear you got hurt on a dirt bike they will only shake their head and frown. Why do we participate in this sport? It is rarely stated but in our hearts Motocrosser’s truly believe the rewards of our sport far exceed its risks.