Well the winter training is truly under way. DC and I have been meeting at the gym early in the morning before work. I think its crucial to have someone to keep motivation high. When you're doing it by yourself its too easy to skip it especially on a freezing, wet winter morning.
At the moment I am concentrating on strength so I am alternating between an upper body and lower body free-weight workout. I think its safe to say that motocross requires a good balance of both upper and lower body strength.
We planned to go riding on Sunday and have the infamous DC vs AT race. These are two of our mates who are into bmx and have both had the chance to learn and ride a motocross bike for one day. We came up with idea during the summer of making them race each other, one on my bike and the other on Cooper's bike.
Unfortunately the weather was terrible so it was cancelled. Fingers crossed that things will be better this weekend.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Punked!
Its been a great couple of weeks. I've signed up to the S10 Gym with DC and training has begun. We went for a nice swim the other night. It felt really good to be back in the water again. Swimming is such a fantastic form of exercise and I plan to do it regularly as I think it will help with my motocross and it will also help me when I go back to South Africa in December/January and get my surf on!
Here's a video of Travis Pastrana getting punked. It has no great significance to the motocross journey except for the fact that Travis is a legend in the eyes of most motocross riders. Enjoy!
Here's a video of Travis Pastrana getting punked. It has no great significance to the motocross journey except for the fact that Travis is a legend in the eyes of most motocross riders. Enjoy!
Monday, 5 November 2007
All done!
Its been a great weekend. I went to the Sheffield Supercross on Saturday afternoon and watched practice and qualifying. It was very entertaining and I think in some ways better than the night event. Ryan Mason hooked me up with a pass so I was stoked. We saw some pretty horrific crashes but luckily no one was hurt. I then went to Hannah's 80's ice skate disco which turned out to be really fun! I just wish I had dressed up as everyone else looked awesome! After the skating I nipped back over to the Supercross and watched the main event before heading home to get some sleep before the race.
Sunday was a fantastic day. The weather was perfect riding weather, nice and sunny but still chilled so you never got too hot. I was a bit worried going into the race as I hadn't ridden for a while and I had done absolutely no fitness training for over 2 weeks. I went to sign up and there was pretty much a full gate, almost 40 riders. I knew it was going to be tough. Everyone had turned up due to it being the last race of the year and some fast school boys had also moved up to my class.
In my first two races I managed to get decent starts and ended up finishing 9th and 10th which I was happy with. The last race I got a bad start and had to work my way up from the back. I managed to get back up to 13th which gave me 11th overall for the day. I felt pretty good the whole day and didn't make any stupid mistakes. I also felt like my jumping had improved as I was nosing it in really nicely on some of the jumps. I still feel my strength and fitness is my biggest let down which is exactly why I will be working hard in the gym this winter.
I'll be starting gym this week so that gives me about 4 months until the first race of next season.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Winter is here... almost!
It happened this weekend, the clocks rolled back which means that any outdoor activity after work is a no go. I'll be driving home in the dark.
I thought that with the racing season winding down that I would have loads of time especially with not being able to go practicing mid week anymore but I feel like I'm busier than ever with various things.
I did get to go and look at the S10 health club which is the Sheffield university Gym just down the road from my house. Its a well kitted out gym and has everything that I need to get nice and strong over the winter. I've acquired some literature on building a winter training plan for the winter. I will post it up here once I am done and then keep posting my progress over the winter.
There is one more race left this season and its next weekend. As soon as that's done the training plan will begin.
I spoke to Ryan yesterday and he is keen to start training as soon as possible. The only problem is that he's got a broken leg at the moment from casing a big double at turbo Taylor's outdoor supercross track. He's adamant that he is able to start upper body training with his leg in a cast. The boy is determined this winter and is looking to come back strong next season!
Unfortunately I never got to ride properly this weekend. We rode the mini bike down at the bmx track for a bit on Sunday afternoon and that was it.
I thought that with the racing season winding down that I would have loads of time especially with not being able to go practicing mid week anymore but I feel like I'm busier than ever with various things.
I did get to go and look at the S10 health club which is the Sheffield university Gym just down the road from my house. Its a well kitted out gym and has everything that I need to get nice and strong over the winter. I've acquired some literature on building a winter training plan for the winter. I will post it up here once I am done and then keep posting my progress over the winter.
There is one more race left this season and its next weekend. As soon as that's done the training plan will begin.
I spoke to Ryan yesterday and he is keen to start training as soon as possible. The only problem is that he's got a broken leg at the moment from casing a big double at turbo Taylor's outdoor supercross track. He's adamant that he is able to start upper body training with his leg in a cast. The boy is determined this winter and is looking to come back strong next season!
Unfortunately I never got to ride properly this weekend. We rode the mini bike down at the bmx track for a bit on Sunday afternoon and that was it.
Monday, 15 October 2007
Good times!
Okay so its been a while again since my last post. Sorry about that!
What a great weekend... Friday it was my little brother's birthday and for that he received a new mini bike which he was over the moon with. I came home early on Friday so we could take it for a ride at Bolehills. Mini bikes are really great fun. I think there are techniques that you can pickup on them that will definitely help you out on the big bikes! Daniel Clifford (world BMX contender) turned up to give it a go. I think he really wants one now.
Saturday was good. I finally managed to fly my radio controlled helicopter successfully, what an awesome hobby. It has been like a life coach over the last few weeks, teaching me valuable lessons in persistence, patience and staying positive. If there ever was a hobby to test your "positive mental attitude", this has got to be it.
Late Saturday afternoon we headed down to Bolehills bmx track once again for a quick squirt on the mini-bike. The tyres that came with it are terrible so we can't lay it down like it should be just yet. I did have a fun session though managing to clear all the jumps on the first straight at Bolehills.
Sunday was race time! Cooper and myself headed for Pilsworth track. It was really slippery to begin with but it got nice and tacky towards the end of the day. It must have been our day for starts as we both got top 3 starts in all 3 motos. Both of us were happy with that.
It was good to run with the leaders for a bit and get a feel for the sort of pace that they were running. In my last moto I was running fourth until I made a really stupid mistake halfway through the last lap. I was gutted! Unfortunately small mistakes and overall fitness would come into play and would end in me getting 7th overall for the day. Although I feel I could maybe have done better I was still stoked.
Sunday night I had an awesome time at church followed by watching the semi-final of the Rugby world cup between South Africa and Argentina. It was a great match and the South African boys did me proud.
Good times!
What a great weekend... Friday it was my little brother's birthday and for that he received a new mini bike which he was over the moon with. I came home early on Friday so we could take it for a ride at Bolehills. Mini bikes are really great fun. I think there are techniques that you can pickup on them that will definitely help you out on the big bikes! Daniel Clifford (world BMX contender) turned up to give it a go. I think he really wants one now.
Saturday was good. I finally managed to fly my radio controlled helicopter successfully, what an awesome hobby. It has been like a life coach over the last few weeks, teaching me valuable lessons in persistence, patience and staying positive. If there ever was a hobby to test your "positive mental attitude", this has got to be it.
Late Saturday afternoon we headed down to Bolehills bmx track once again for a quick squirt on the mini-bike. The tyres that came with it are terrible so we can't lay it down like it should be just yet. I did have a fun session though managing to clear all the jumps on the first straight at Bolehills.
Sunday was race time! Cooper and myself headed for Pilsworth track. It was really slippery to begin with but it got nice and tacky towards the end of the day. It must have been our day for starts as we both got top 3 starts in all 3 motos. Both of us were happy with that.
It was good to run with the leaders for a bit and get a feel for the sort of pace that they were running. In my last moto I was running fourth until I made a really stupid mistake halfway through the last lap. I was gutted! Unfortunately small mistakes and overall fitness would come into play and would end in me getting 7th overall for the day. Although I feel I could maybe have done better I was still stoked.
Sunday night I had an awesome time at church followed by watching the semi-final of the Rugby world cup between South Africa and Argentina. It was a great match and the South African boys did me proud.
Good times!
Friday, 28 September 2007
Up and Down
Its been a while since my last post. Things have just been really crazy lately.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Peakdale with Cooper and had an awesome session. It was one of those sessions where something seemed to just click and I instantly felt like I had got better. Cooper gave me some tips and let me follow him to learn some better lines, it definitely helped!
On Wednesday I went to the desert for a session and was feeling good until I went down in a corner. Unfortunately There was a big rock just under the sand where I went down and my knee got squashed between the bike and the rock. I was instantly in a lot of pain and needed help kicking the bike up. My gut feeling was that this was pretty serious and that I was going to be out for a long while.
That night Hannah (my girlfriend) came round to see how I was and she prayed for quick healing. Two days later and the improvement has been incredible, I think I might be back on the bike very soon but probably not in time for the race on Sunday. The way things have gone I'm not going to give up hope just yet though!
Today I also completed the order with VW for my new van. Its going to take about 8-10 weeks to be built and arrive. This will be my first brand new vehicle. It's my favourite van by far and I've always said that if I had to win the lottery, this would be the van that I purchased to transport the bike so I'm super stoked. It will definitely make the racing experience that much more factory.
More regular updates to follow... Peace!
A couple of weeks ago I went to Peakdale with Cooper and had an awesome session. It was one of those sessions where something seemed to just click and I instantly felt like I had got better. Cooper gave me some tips and let me follow him to learn some better lines, it definitely helped!
On Wednesday I went to the desert for a session and was feeling good until I went down in a corner. Unfortunately There was a big rock just under the sand where I went down and my knee got squashed between the bike and the rock. I was instantly in a lot of pain and needed help kicking the bike up. My gut feeling was that this was pretty serious and that I was going to be out for a long while.
That night Hannah (my girlfriend) came round to see how I was and she prayed for quick healing. Two days later and the improvement has been incredible, I think I might be back on the bike very soon but probably not in time for the race on Sunday. The way things have gone I'm not going to give up hope just yet though!
Today I also completed the order with VW for my new van. Its going to take about 8-10 weeks to be built and arrive. This will be my first brand new vehicle. It's my favourite van by far and I've always said that if I had to win the lottery, this would be the van that I purchased to transport the bike so I'm super stoked. It will definitely make the racing experience that much more factory.
More regular updates to follow... Peace!
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
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.
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.
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