Racing DH

jonKranked · Apr 4, 2011

you'll be back. I have a career and do the 9-5 (HA!) desk-ish job, but I still manage to race. Granted I don't do as many races as I want, but still manage to hit enough to get my kicks.

Capricorn · Apr 4, 2011

5150: what's the story behind the last photo. Which race, how did u stack like that, and any damages to report?

Orvan · Apr 4, 2011

Welcome to Life, Mike.
There used to be a time I recall when sleeping in a closet or beside the night stand in a one bedroom hotel room with 9 of your racing buds and cronies was fun. When driving home from races means, stopping at a few ride spots in between with a day or two more to burn. Now, I want my showers, continental breakfast and I want my effing space, laptop with wifi and away from everyone else's stinky armor and two day old jerseys. Wait until you get a kid.

Coming to woodward this weekend (not that there really is a reason to)?

big-ted · Apr 4, 2011

You could always put some armor on?

yuroshek · Apr 4, 2011

Mike, I remember racing you few years ago at Fontana, I believe you were always the rider right behind me? not sure but I remember you, I feel your pain man. Ive had some hard crashes in the past few years but thats not whats slowing you down, your like me... Money is slowing you down right? Well Im very excited because I just recently signed with a very good company and will actually have money to race and go on ride-vacations :weee:

Do your thing, get a job you LOVE and in the mean time keep ripping and remember why you ride a bike. You ride for the fun of it, the freedom, the feeling of railing a turn or boosting a new kicker. This is what I did last year since I didnt have much money and was hurt a lot. I just rode a ton of XC, road and DH but didnt race much. I had a freakin blast and even met my current girlfriend out riding on the mountain :thumb:

Hang in there bud itll come around!

SCARY · Apr 4, 2011

I call dibs on staying with Orvan at the races.

gemini2k · Apr 4, 2011

You are incredibly lucky to have so many professional photos of you eating sh*t so spectacularly. *tips hat*

yuroshek · Apr 4, 2011

gemini2k said:
You are incredibly lucky to have so many professional photos of you eating sh*t so spectacularly. *tips hat*

second that! at least you can prove your "sh!t eatting skills"

p.s. I think its the helmet, you know what... I know its the helmet. Get the new D3 and you will be so careful not to scratch it you wont ever crash!!!

gemini2k · Apr 4, 2011

yuroshek said:
second that! at least you can prove your "sh!t eatting skills" p.s. I think its the helmet, you know what... I know its the helmet. Get the new D3 and you will be so careful not to scratch it you wont ever crash!!!

Wurd. Except for that D3 part. Get a real moto helmet. Also, you should probably not still be wearing a helmet you've gotten 3 concussions in.

Oldm8 · Apr 4, 2011

That last photo has to be one of the best I've ever seen! How long did it take to get the dirt out of your mouth/nose?

johnnypop · Apr 4, 2011

Pack that dirty truck up and come riding at Hollister... I've got a futon you can crash on.

I've dropped racing off my schedule this year too, Sea Otter is a joke, and all other USAC races worth any time are out of state. I'm going to race the Northstar series just to have some fun because I'll be up there every weekend possible this summer.

dustyyoungblood · Apr 5, 2011

5150dhbiker I think I used to watch you practice at Fontana. ....There is something about DH racing that is completely addicting. Why else would I sit in a hot as hell van with a bunch of smelly dudes in the summer in Fontana? I only raced 2.5 seasons. The second year 2006, I went nuts and raced ALL the Fontana's, Sonoma, Bryant head, And Santa Barbara. I could not get enough. 2007 left me with a nasty ankle break, and my DH skills never really came back as good.While I do miss competition, I just changed my focus to business and less bone breaking hobbies, and trail riding. Still, hitting Mammoth once a year brings all the joy back and reminds me how to go fast.

slyfink · Apr 5, 2011

I don't understand why the search for a job would hold you back from racing? unless it's the lack of cash. this is the time in your life you have the greatest amount of freedom. I can honestly say, now that I have a kid, that no job would ever have prevented me from riding (and I should have been racing back then). Still, now that I have a job, and a family, I'm looking at doing some local races caus' they're so dang fun...

chillindrdude · Apr 5, 2011

what are your goals in life? it can range anywhere from sitting around smoking weed to being a rocket scientist. and that's just professionally. do you eventually want a family? kids?

kinda big questions to ponder, and exact answers aren't necessary, but as you get into college, probably things to at least think about.

if you're honest with yourself, you're probably not gonna be racing DH for a livelihood (ie. Pro). you can still love it, go fast, get stoked from racing/riding. but it's not likely in direct line to those life goals that you may/may not have thought about.

i have a job (that i enjoy) and a good family (that i also enjoy) and riding dh probably sits just behind my job in terms of importance. but due to my job and family, i know it is impossible for me to go racing every weekend. you just have to budget your time / money. i go to one race each season that is truly a road trip (>5hr drive) and that's it, the rest are local/regional races that are doable for a day trip. are there races that i really want to go to but can't? you betcha, but that's just the way it is, based on how i value what's important in my life.

i used to race expert/cat 1, took a 4 yr break, due to school. came back and now racing cat 2. goals are to get back to being competitive in cat 1 again. but i am more cognizant of consequences in my riding. i simply don't go mach stupid in techical/rocky gnar anymore, or jump as big gaps as i used to, i still attack, but there's a measure of reserve that i hold back. is it fear? maybe, but i need to stay healthy (sans broken bones) for my job and my family. i still derive a great deal of fun from riding fast, but i don't throw caution into the wind.

everyone level of committment is different, but as one matures that SHOULD and WILL change. unless of course, you are PRO or have a cushy trust fund.

EM-EFER · Apr 5, 2011

I also had to make the same decision between racing as a hobby VS. profession. I realized I don't have what it takes to be a top pro nor have the time to invest in training. I put that same amount of effort into my career as I did racing and have made something of myself. I still race as a hobby, ride DH every other weekend and XC 2-3 times a week.

You can enjoy racing after you achieve your goal of becoming a pilot.

yuroshek · Apr 5, 2011

Damn you want to become a pilot with all the crashing you have done on the bike? No thanks Ill drive :thumb:

slyfink · Apr 5, 2011

5150dhbiker said:
Well...it's not really the money it's the commitment I have to make for the job I want. I'm trying to become an airline pilot and that takes TONS of time and a lot of money...so it's kind of both.

aaaaah, gotcha. Good luck with that. I have a buddy doing the same thing. we didn't end up riding much last year. If there was good weather, he was up logging hours. If there wasn't good weather... well, we weren't riding! Now he's got a new baby, so I don't know if I'll ever ride with him again :rolleyes:

Orvan · Apr 5, 2011

yuroshek said:
Damn you want to become a pilot with all the crashing you have done on the bike? No thanks Ill drive

Yeah, pls update us on which airline you end up working and which route.

Good luck, brah

waterdogs · Apr 5, 2011

My brother doesn't ride.. hed' rather be in his boat fishing or scuba diving, but he's been an airline pilot for 13 years (was hired as the youngest pilot at Continental at the time). My point for posting...... dude, he's got all kinds of time off. I know everyone and airline is different, he's been flying International for the past 5 or so years.... at any given time he's got up to two weeks off. He's on straight for 4 or 5 days and he's off. Now putting this in perspective, he's been there a while and he had to pay his dues. I think giving up is a strong phrase to use. Don't give up, do what you have to up front, then you'll slowly be back into it. You obviously aren't swayed by gnarly crashes (great pics BTW), so that means your passionate about it..... we need to keep doing those things we are passionate about.

Either way, Good Luck!

wood booger · Apr 5, 2011

If riding/racing is important to you, find a job that supports it. Either something in the cycling industry, or something with a more open schedule and less time commitment.

Training to become a professional pilot won't give you much time for riding in the next 5+ years. It takes serious commitment.

But if you really love flying, then go that route. Follow your passion.

intensified · Apr 5, 2011

"I wanna be an airplane pilot"-breakfast club

That is shooting for the stars, helicopters are pretty cool to. I always assumed the pilots were from a military background on the airlines?

Not a great economy, if you follow a path and go for the training you can be a pro and do what you know in any field.

We dont' see too many medical doctors racing in the dh class (I knew of one girl getting ready for pre med school), lots of smart peeps though with all kinds of excellent backgrounds.

Maybe another form of biking (tons of options,lots have you gone only sunday) would be better during your transition to flight school.

DHDreams · Apr 5, 2011

Not to derail, but it would be interesting to know (through some sort of poll) what most people who race/ride/enjoy DH do for a living. I am, and know many, engineers who ride and race. So, I guess that would be my assumption for what the majority would be. Who knows...

Yeah, I had to take about 10 years off due to a new and growing family. Kids take a lot of time and money! Thankfully, my wife gave me the green light to get back into the sport that I love. I've had some really bad crashes, which resulted in time off work, but that's just part of the game and the chances I'm willing to take for that rush. I'm having fun! And, that's why I do it. When the day comes that I'm not having fun, that's when I'll take a break or just quit altogether. Life is too short to not enjoy it. I just don't want to have too many of those stories that start out, "I wish I would have done this or that". A life of no regrets.

thom9719 · Apr 5, 2011

DHDreams said:
Not to derail, but it would be interesting to know (through some sort of poll) what most people who race/ride/enjoy DH do for a living. I am, and know many, engineers who ride and race. So, I guess that would be my assumption for what the majority would be. Who knows...

40 hours a week as a Mechanical Engineer, 23 races on the calendar for this season. I litterally got back to the airport this morning and went straight to work. It involves a lot of driving through the night, but it's a fun sacrifice

-KT

Da Peach · Apr 6, 2011

big-ted said:
You could always put some armor on?

ahem... how's the elbow?

Eastern States Cup · Apr 6, 2011

DHDreams said:
I'm having fun! And, that's why I do it. When the day comes that I'm not having fun, that's when I'll take a break or just quit altogether. Life is too short to not enjoy it. I just don't want to have too many of those stories that start out, "I wish I would have done this or that". A life of no regrets.

mtakahas · Apr 6, 2011

DHDreams said:
Not to derail, but it would be interesting to know (through some sort of poll) what most people who race/ride/enjoy DH do for a living. I am, and know many, engineers who ride and race. So, I guess that would be my assumption for what the majority would be. Who knows...

I am a small business owner & operator.... I have a computer consulting business which keeps me busy... I am also a divorced father who shares custody of two kids which I have every other week... Luckily for me, I'm able to schedule clients as I please... I usually end up cramming a whole weeks worth of work into 3-4 days... so I'm still able to race between 14-20 races per season... Personally, I think we all need an outlet... With careful planning and organization, I think you can still have a successful career, and still be able to have the fun hobbies that you need to stay sane!!! It just takes some good planning

wiscodh · Apr 6, 2011

thom9719 said:
40 hours a week as a Mechanical Engineer,

meh, i need that kind of job. this engineering 8-630 crap is getting old on low pay to boot.

race for fun, you are not making a living off of it, so have a blast while riding :thumb:

Racing DH

Turbo Monkey

Detective Dookie

Monkey

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Danced with A, attacked by C, fired by D.

Turbo Monkey

Not long enough

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Chimp

Chimp

Chimp

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

....................

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Chimp

Turbo Monkey

Outwitted by a rodent

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey