One race I’m really looking forward to is the final round of the SuperEnduro World Championship in France in a few weeks – it’s the only round of the series I might actually be fit for! I had an injured shoulder at the first round, and the second round came after surgery and a tonne of physio, so I hope that in France, finally, I’ll be near as damn it fit and healthy.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent, but I did what I went there to do, which was to win.”
Although I’d only been able to train on my Endurocross track for two weeks before the second round of the SuperEnduro series, the event went great. Compared to how I felt in Poland at the championship opener, where I was banged up and unsure if I’d even be able to race, I felt like my old self again. I wasn’t 100 per cent, but I did what I went there to do, which was to win.
The Barcelona event is always a good one, and taking two wins and a third place result meant I got the overall win and extended my points lead. It was a pretty full-on night but I was pleased with the way I rode. If I can finish the job in France winning the championship will be the best way to start my preparations for X Games. I’m not counting my chickens just yet, but I’m already looking beyond the end of the SuperEnduro series.
When X Games comes to Europe it’s going to blow people away. I’ve been lucky enough to race Endurocross at X Games a few times, and count the gold medal I won in 2011 as one of the most important trophies I have. It’s on another level to just about everything else, and the thing that’s really great is it shows Endurocross alongside so many other cool sports. That’s what makes X Games so special I guess, the fact that apart from freestyle motocross it’s the only form of off-road motorcycle racing to be a part of the show. And it’s one hell of a show.
“If I can finish the job in France winning the championship will be the best way to start my preparations for X Games.”
It’ll probably take a while to really take hold like it has in the States, but with a little time it’ll become just as big in Europe, I’m sure of that. With four X Games events, starting in Brazil in mid April, eight US Endurocross races, and what looks like three or maybe more SuperEnduro races at the end of the season it’s going to be a busy year.
The next few weeks will be spent finishing off my shoulder physio, and riding. Thankfully, the physio won’t be as full-on as it was – before the Barcelona event I was going twice a day for two hours each time. Being able to get back on a bike and get back to a winning result made all of the pain worth it, but being almost fully fit again is a great feeling…