Ever said anything that you regretted?

            Me either, but it looked like I might for a while, after my first blog about Ryan Hughs' thoughts about the 'softening' of the motoworld.  Thoughts which I...let's wait for it...agree with.  But you gotta remember that this guy is the guy that pushed his bike up a hill, then through a few corners after his bike snapped a chain in a season when he was within a grasp of a US National MX Championship.  Ryan knows desire, understands it, and ooooozzzzeeeessss it.  Therefore, he can speak that way about it.

            Me, perhaps I don't have the desire or the titles to prove it, but I've been witness to it.  I've only ever been really choked a couple times while on a bike.  This one occurrence will never leave my memory, and motivates me daily in what I do for myself, my family, and my sport.  It was at the beginning of a special test in Poland at the International Six Days Enduro.  I was riding Trophy, meaning I was riding in the midst of the best of the best.  Intimidated?  Yes. Was I learning anything?  Hell yes! Was I slower than everyone else?  Absolutely not!!!  But at the beginning of this particular test, we were piling up at the start.  There was some jockying for starting position going on, as people didn't want to get held up in the test by slower riders.  I was surrounded by riders, when some dude beside me starts to move forward with me.  As he does so, he looks up at me, sees the Maple Leaf on my helmet and tries to push in front of me!  The dude thought just because I was from the "Great White North" I deserved to be behind him.  LOL...not so fast.  Don't assume.  I started and finished the test in front of 'the dude'.  Desire.

            Bjorne Carlsson, Factory Husaberg rider, rode 17 or 18 years of pro at the international and World Championship level, one World Championship, and  5 or 6 2nd place championships behind guys like Mario Rinaldi, Giovani Sala.  He has bad knees.  Really bad knees.  He showed me one day how loose they were, and I've never seen anything so poorly attached.  But he still had feeling, and DESIRE, and refused to let any pain or poor strength slow him down and stop him from his goals.  He refused medication when he was sick, and like Bob Hannah, said " don't need no stinkin' pills"!!  I called him 'the bear' when he got his race face on, there was nothing gonna slow him down.

            Another story about knees.  Erzberg 2009, Moose was practicing on the endurocross course, when a rain slickened track caused his Husaberg to fall from beneath him, causing Shane to tweak his weak knee.  A day later, as he's stretching, I notice the bruising on his leg where his knee brace straps had cut into his legs and bruised him!!!  Did he limp?  Yes. Did he complain?  No.  It had to obviously hurt, his straps bruised his legs!!! 

            Desire overcame the pain, the trouble, the strife.  Racing, like life, presents its challenges.  You can perceive these challenges as a route to failure or motivation to make you a better stronger person.  We know which route the other half took.