Oh crap...I could have written the original post
I'm only 45, but in dirtbike years I think I'm closer to 85.
I started riding relatively late in life-23-and was pretty injury-free for the first 10 years or so. Then it seemed like every time I turned around I was tearing this or breaking that. I've had 4 moto-related surgeries, put one on hold so I could ride in Idaho, and have one looming in my semi-near future...does that seem excessive to y'all? 2 torn and reconstructed ACL's, torn MCL, torn front-brake-finger ligament, torn thumb ligament/tendon, 2 broken wrists, 2 broken ankles, broken foot, broken kneecap, numerous broken ribs (but ribs don't count...do they?) a torn rotator cuff and one serious head injury. Yeah...
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..I think that's about it.
I used to chalk it up to being young and confident. I'd be all ""I just want to ride well, just want to have fun, don't care where I finish, blah-blah-blah" but by the time the gate dropped or my minute came up, I'd be convinced I was the second coming of Rodney Smith. And pity the fool that tried to get between me and that almighty trophy...
Fast forward a few years and I said I needed to quit racing...that maybe racing was the problem...I needed to remove myself from the competitive environment. That worked for about a season or so
I decided it wasn't racing that was the problem and started doing an enduro here or there, but no more MX. If I was going to get pounded, I figured it would be due to my own negligence or inattentiveness out on the trails by myself, not due to some crazed 16-year-old trying to impress his girlfriend with a trophy.
Anyway, long story short, I changed my attitude, swallowed my pride (there's still a little lump there where some of it refuses to go down
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) and just slowed down. I guess the benefit of my getting older was being able to see the big picture. I want to be riding when I'm too old to do anything else, and it wouldn't be happening if I didn't change my ways. I was in it for the long haul, and I didn't need any more trophies or "gee, you're pretty fast!!'"'s in order to enjoy the very liberating and tactile experience of riding my dirtbike.
So, what did I get for these efforts? 3 years ago I hit a hidden rock with my footpeg and laid on the trail unconscious til another rider came along and woke me from my deep slumber. Torn rotator cuff, torn groin muscle (oh yeah, forgot that one earlier...) serious head injury and a body that was black and blue from head to toe, including my jaw, temple and forehead. And why did I lay on the trail by myself? Because I was the last rider...I was riding
slow dang it! Fat lot of good that did, eh? Just one of those things...
Then last June I did the invitation-only Big Boot Trail Ride. I was riding a sedate pace because I wanted to last the entire 2 days of almost 200miles of pristine singletrack through redwoods on private land. I was determined to not miss a mile of what was available to me. An hour into day 1 I jump a routine waterbar exactly like the previous 10 I'd just jumped and my ankle shattered...2 plates, 13 screws, 4 months off work. I can't win for losin', it seems
So, yeah, I've had to slow down and admit that I just can't take a hit anymore. It kills me to do so, because I used to be pretty fast (and, no...not
just for a girl
) but it's a reality I've had to accept. I still do the gnarly every chance I get, and I love picking my way through the crappiest toughest terrain I can find, and I still take pride in my ability to last throughout the day, day after day on multi-day rides. I may not be the fastest rider out there, but I'm still going strong at the end of the day long after the young whippersnappers have blown their wad
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That is, if I haven't self-destructed along the way.
I've been doing a lot more dualsporty stuff in the last year or so, and it's been a really pleasant change. It's easier on my body and easier on the equipment. Another plus is that the terrain doesn't need to be as gnarly on the big bikes in order for it to be challenging. I'm really digging the 610 and it has made my transition to a much more safe and sane rider a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Of course, all bets are off when the sticky rubber and leathers come into the picture
Geez...am I long-winded or what??
WoodsChick