Tuesday 7 September 2010

Put your Heart in to it.

Everything I do, I always try and make sure I give it 100%, and I like to think that inspires others around me to do the same, I know when I see someone giving it the beans, or trying their hardest it pushes me to get involved and go that little bit extra.  I get psyched on stuff like that.

Whether it be sessioning the track or trails, gates, a race, the gym, or battling hipster fixie riders that think they can get all attack-like on me down the Williamsburg Bridge, I'm bringing it. Just cos I don't rock a full sleeve or have a kryptonite mini in my back pocket don't mean i can't handle bizz yo!

Sadly though, this weekend was not one of those times where I gave it my all, I went into the Grands a little unexpectedly, not sure whether or not i'd make the long journey across Country to Kentucky to race the biggest race in the NBL's calendar The NBL Grands. But when my man Crazy Al Cayne came through and said he was making the trip, who was I to decline? But my heart was not in it, I guess sometimes it gets a bit like that.

Things have been non-stop since leaving for the UK all those weeks back, I said I would have a little sabbatical, but that never happened, I just can't do downtime. But I really wish I could! So perhaps I was a little burnt out, or perhaps tired, or maybe I just didn't care enough, whatever happened my A-game definitely was left at home for this one!

The trip kinda started a little rough, CAC-TV's car got towed for some outstanding tickets, and couldn't be collected until Thursday morning, which meant we'd miss the Thursday practise session. Drat. I was psyched just to ride my bike, not just race it. so I headed back to BK to await my man to come correct in the morning.

We eventually got on the road around midday, and the drive was a mission, about 800 miles across country to Louisville, Kentucky. It was a fun time though, SugarCayne was and still is a dope beat producer and hip hop connoisseur, we basically freestyled across country to a whole bunch of his beat tapes, I got a little worried that I wouldn't be able to conduct a normal conversation the following day and be limited to communicating in rap. Another bonus of the later departure meant I actually got to see the States we drove through, the beautiful states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the mountains out into Kentucky before the sun dropped from the sky and the moon lit our way. We arrived in Louisville at 3am on the Friday morning, caught some Z's before the Friday events got underway.

The track was kinda fun, by lap 3 I had jumped everything but my gates were kinda sucky, I dropped my gear to a 38-14 and it felt like i was getting out good but by the 3rd pedal I had nothing more to push on, like I was spining already, of course I wasn't but it was a change I should have perhaps made earlier and gotten used to. I enjoyed the track, a super fast set of straights that ran downhill, some reasonably big jumps, but nothing to fear, turns that fired you around and spat you out the other side, it was sick, my 4th lap was my final practise lap, and that was that.

Friday we chilled at the track watched the pro practice, I caught up with some of the mandem, Johhny P, The Cartel Fam,  The LI guys, the stampede connect, Chad, Pat and the Powers massive, met some new people, shot the breeze and just had a nice time being at the track. Afterward we ate with The Cartel, filled up the cool box, and then hit one of the largest concrete parks in North America Louisville Extreme,  rode the bowl a bit and CAC-TV busted some big fly outs, tables, fakies and the like until he punctured. We shredded about an hour but time was slipping away, and we had a mad early rise in the morning to get the racing underway. So off to the hotel we went for pro sleeps.



Day 1 at the Grands is not like your average race, no practice, straight into racing, so getting warmed up is essential, I got ready and hit my first moto and got a 4th, I kinda rode a bit safe I suppose, but it was alright on the bubble. 90 minutes goes by before the next moto and again, getting up there kinda cold, but you gotta just go for it, I got an alright gate but again could only manage a 4th. I could have made a move for 3rd, but there wasn't the urgency in my racing. Day 1 was pretty much over for me race wise at that point, you only do 2 motos day 1, then we get onto the Pro spectacular. Pro racing was hot, some big crashes and thoughts go out to Jonny Culbreth who took a big one in practice, he is now minus his spleen. Bad times, but he'll be back i'm sure, youth is rapid!

Big riders in the place Strombergs, Meyers, Dewilde, Lapraz, Upshaw, Pohlkamp, Faoro, Betcher, Brown, and many more in there making waves, of course Strombergs took the win, with Lapraz taking up the 2 spot and Tyler Brown in 3rd. The racing was sick, although a cheeky back pedal from Strombergs over the pro line in the main suggested it was all too easy for the big man. Good times. Marco was in the place representing Stay Strong, but perhaps had one too many plates of pasta back home in Italy prior and no doubt still flat from becoming World Champ, he didn't make it out of his semi, ABA Grands it is buddy!

Day 2 was another long one, in fact, REAL long! At the track for 7am, moto 3, where I got a second, then the quarters where I slept on it, finished at the abck just ramping stuff up and having fun, I was out of it by the 2nd straight so I trew in the towel, weak I know, I don't know where my heart was at for this one.

So I just relaxed and watched the rest of the racing of which there was a lot! I had a sick day watching my friends bust moves and saw some spectacualtr moves being made, the Grands, people go all out and I was stoked to be there. I'd had been more stoked if I had advanced further. I had an amazing time in KY, it was so good being there in the thick of what I lover, and thanks for Al Cayne for getting me there, and back in one piece, man, that was a long ass drive! We shared the driving on the way back, but it was still a killer. Oof. Another 14 hours so my day began at 6:30am on the Sunday and finished at 9:30am on the Monday. Damn.

Anyway, back to BK, I gathered my stuff and hit the beach with Dani to relax, sleep on the sand swim in the sea and catch some waves, it was the perfect end to a sick sick few days. Big in the game.

This is absolutely beautiful, I hope you think so too. Perhaps one of my favourite tunes of 2010.

  To Something Ft. ROX by ghostpoet

I think this week will be a chill, and then I want to hit Kingston this weekend for gates and sessions, sleep in a little, and generally just slow down the pace a bit.

No comments: