NUMBER FOUR ON THE LIST
By John Basher
ÿ
Secretly, in the bottom of our hearts, we want to be pro racers. Who wouldn’t give to be leading a National, click up a gear and whip it over LaRocco’s Leap while looking at the crowd cheering you on? On the flipside, not being a pro means you don’t have to stress during contract time, getting hurt, or worry about fumbling with the cork to the champagne bottle on the podium. However, for a moment’s time we are all pro riders, at least in our minds. And, better yet, we can dress like pro riders. Grant Langston, eat your heart out!
ÿ
ÿ
I TRY TO AT LEAST DRESS LIKE A PRO. That’s like saying, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” Do you, like me, ever have those delusions of grandeur that you are a carbon copy of your favorite pro rider out on the track? You emulate his or her same moves; slicing berms, seat bouncing tabletops, or grabbing your helmet chin bar in mid air just to yank it like #4. Let’s face it; we all do it at one time or another. Even my father, who introduced me to the two-wheeled sport of motocross, has a dream sequence while riding a bike that he’s a top pro. In hindsight, he’s actually the biggest doer of delusions, bless his heart. I remember, and always will remember, a few years ago when we were riding around on the motocross track located on our property. After a solid 20 minutes of riding, my dad took off his helmet, and with a gaping smile on his face said, “Oh man, I was going through the corners like Ty Davis out there!” After the words processed in my brain, I nearly dropped my bike from laughing so hard. It was an amazing statement, and I’ll admit that while my dad wasn’t ripping through the corners quite like the former 125 West coast SX champ, he was riding well. I have those same types of thoughts, though. When seat bouncing a jump, I’ll think mid-flight
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
For those other minutes that I’m out on the track not thinking I’m a pro rider, I at least try to look good. I dress in the gear that I believe is stylish. And you know what’s best about 2006 as far as gear is concerned? Every gear company that I’ve seen has their own distinct style and fashion trend that they’re steering towards. Troy Lee has a cool camo design, O’Neal has some great color combinations (especially the green, which looks extremely cool in my eyes), the Fox Blitz gear is one of my favorites, No Fear’s Rogue gear is clean looking and extremely lightweight, Fly has some pink/black gear that I’ve grown to really like…the list goes on and on. Other gear I haven’t tried but want to is the Thor, Alloy, MSR, Answer, Shift, AXO, and So Cal stuff. It’s good to feel like you’re an individual out on the track, and these companies help me feel that way. I like thinking I’m a top pro for split seconds on the track and looking like the top dogs when I roll the big doubles and veer way right towards the fence when I’m faking a flat tire in order to skip the whoop section. Now if only someone else watching me ride around the track would come up to me afterwards and say, “Wow John, you really were a spitting image of Chad Reed out there!” Until then, I’ll bank my speed on delusions of grandeur.
Comments are closed.