This sport will cut you down...

Motocross is the hardest most physically demanding sport I have ever done and the more I get into it the more I realise this.
In the first moto on Sunday I got an average mid pack start. I quickly started passing people and on the second lap I found myself in 7th coming up to make the pass for 6th. In the last corner before the finish line double I took the outside line and caught up with the guy in front of me going up the face of the jump. Unfortunately he drifted wide in the air and in what seemed like slow motion, I saw his bike take out my front wheel in mid air. I then plummeted to the ground and landed in a big heap. For the first time in all my crashes it actually took me a while to get up. I was winded and seeing stars, and my knee, hip and arm had taken quite a knock. I crawled to the side of the track and a marshal picked up my bike for me. After a few deep breathes I climbed back on the bike and decided to finish. A last place finish was better than a DNF.

Once the race was over I went back to the van and felt terrible. My knee and hip were already going stiff and again for the first time ever I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back out. I realised at this point how this sport will cut you down to size very quickly especially when you start to get a little bit cocky.

After having some food and water I started to clear my head. I prepped the bike and straightened everything up. I decided I was going to go back out and see how I felt. For the next two motos I got a much better start and managed to keep it on two wheels. I wasn't sure of my positions but I was confident that I had finished in the top 10. At the end of the day I checked the overall positions and I had come 10th. I couldn't believe it, even with my last place finish in the first moto and my injuries I had managed to get a top 10.

Parts of my body are still in quite a bit of pain so I will be taking a break for a while to heal up. The next race is the 30th of September so I have a few weeks to recover.