Five on Four – Part 1

For those of you that are new to Think Daily, I’ll catch you up. 

I ride dirt bikes.

It’s been a big part of my life.  I raced them with my son in Baja – the 1000-mile-long peninsula on the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico.  If you haven’t seen them already, there are four movies you should watch on YouTube.  “Into the Dust”, and ” Into the Dust 2, 3, and 4″.  That will catch you up to 2018.

Each year on Think Daily I write about my Baja 1000 race experience.  Now I realize some of you may not care to read about racing in the desert.  But each year is guaranteed to be a story in the longest off road race in the world, in a wild land, racing for 24 hours straight or more (up to 53 hours in 2020!)  I always learn things.  And these lessons apply to life in many other ways.

I’ve been back from the race since the week before Thanksgiving, but I haven’t had a chance to write about it yet.  So here I go.  I don’t know how many posts it will take, but when I’m done, we’ll get back to our short self-development Think Daily posts that you have come to know.

“Five on Four”

Five teammates on four wheels.

Why?  I have ridden a dirt bike about 70 times a year for 26 years.  It’s hard work, takes time, and can be risky if you don’t keep your head. But when you love doing something the work seems like fun.  I think most of us have a sport, hobby, or pastime that others wouldn’t think about that we do for fun.  We all have different interests.  And some of us take our interests to the extreme.

For off-road racing on two or four wheels, the place where it gets extreme each year is at the Baja 1000 race.

I won’t give you much of the setup and drama as many of you I think have seen the Into The Dust movie series.  But let’s say, it’s serious business – before and during the race.

I love racing a dirt bike there.  But I had my knee replaced two years ago now, and it still hurts.  I haven’t been able to train like I would need to for this race.  I did solo the San Felipe race in April this year on my new knee and finished the 320 miles in about ten hours.  I’ve raced a few other races on teams where we shared the riding duties.  But the Baja 1000 was the mother of all races, and I just wasn’t physically ready for it again.  After racing it five times in a row, I just knew the suffering it brings even to a perfectly fit younger man.

I don’t want to get old.  But it is happening. My mind says go and my body falls behind.  At age 58 I think I’m doing pretty good, except for my dang knees – both of them.  (Oh and in September I separated my shoulder jumping off a 16-foot-high Quarry wall into the water in Manchester VT.  Who would have thunk it?)

I don’t want to sit on the sidelines.  I don’t want to not be able to do it anymore.  I want to use my knowledge as a Baja racing veteran and compete.  So last year I had a UTV built for racing.  Four wheels.  Easier on the legs, muscles, and easier on the knees.

They say that’s what happens to old motorcycle racers.  “With age, comes a cage” (roll cage that is).

Last year we did well in the 1124-mile race.  We finished 4th out of 12.  My knee isn’t healed yet. Can’t run, can’t bike, can’t squat, can’t do a treadmill or do much on the elliptical.  So, here I am again, on four wheels, when my heart wants only two.

We need to understand WHY we are doing something, and it needs to resonate with who we really are and what we really want.  For me, I wanted to have a great adventure and unique experience with Marie, (now my wife) and some friends.

My personal mission statement is “an extraordinary life of shared experiences”.  This would be extraordinary, and it would be shared.

Motivation – check. Ok, let’s rock this. 

This year, I wanted to go fast and see what I, and we, could do…so let’s find out!