All I Want For Christmas...

                Well, Christmas is almost upon us. Tonight is the first night of Chanukah. The December Toronto bike show is over. It’s just over 3 weeks until the January show and the start of the AMA outdoor season. Big things are starting to happen for the site and I’m just about getting ready to have that rider’s itch again.

                B and I have had this talk before. While we both agree it’d be cool to be able to ride all year round, there are also benefits to being forced to take “time off” from the bike. We all feel it from time to time, especially when the seasons are long and stressful. You get burnt out. We all do. We’re only human and dirt biking, whether you’re into motocross, enduro or trials, is an incredibly draining sport, both mentally and physically. You have to be on your game at all times when you’re on the bike; one wrong move in some cases can be a very dangerous thing.

                But it’s been about six weeks since my last ride just before my birthday in November and I’m starting to miss it. It might have something to do with the photo “essays” I’m working on, a retrospective on this past year’s CEC events, or the fact B’s brought home 3 killer new DVDs in the past two weeks (look for the essays and reviews to follow!) , but whatever it is, I miss dirt bikes.

                There’s something about waking up early for a race, whether I’m going as media or as a participant, that just isn’t the same as waking up early to hit the gym before work. Getting up at the crack of dawn, loading the bikes into the truck just as the sun is starting to crest the horizon; there’s no humidity yet, and just the slightest chill in the air. The dew smells sweet. There’s the promise of a hot day hanging in the air, but it’s going to be a good day.

                I miss the smell of race gas and exhaust. The sight of a rooster tail and the blue haze that lingers on the starting line of a harescramble. The sound of a two stroke “chain sawing” over a log and the thunder of the CMRC MX1 line getting ready for the gate to drop at a National. If I close my eyes, sitting in my Cobalt, waiting for it to warm up so I can drive home, I can almost feel the heat of the sun oppressively bearing down on me in the weathered badlands of Alberta, or the thick, bug filled humidity of the Ontario bush early in June.

                But, then I open my eyes and I’m faced with the harsh reality. It’s mid December in southern Ontario. We don’t even have snow yet.

                Only 4 months until the season starts though, right?

                Stay safe, and enjoy the holidays.

-          Suzie Q