Portrait of a Racer: Jake Lyon

With factory race teams succumbing to the financial pressures of our grueling sport, it's leaving not only top level riders without a proper ride, but it's also proving to have an affect on amateur racers who are on the brink of turning professional.

At the end of the day, is the risk/reward, time away from family and friends, and injuries to your body worth the lack of money? For some racers such as A class rider, Jake Lyon, the answer is simple... Yes.

Lyon is on the brink of turning pro, but walking that fine line of producing the results in order to land himself on a respectable team is almost non-existent. The SoCal native sheds some light about why he does what he does, and the pressures of needing a successful career in order to say "thank you" to his family.