On The Pegs January 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 1 | Page 76

On The Pegs
You have 10 US National Trials titles to your credit. How
does that help you in EnduroCross?
Like many top extreme riders, Trials is the backbone for
overall bike handling skills. Riders like Webb, Haaker, Jarvis,
Walker, Blazusiak, etc. all have relied on their Trials skills to
perform at the world’s toughest events. Balance and control
is the name of the game and nothing teaches it better than
Trials. If you want to become a better rider and reach success
in EnduroCross start riding a Trials bike now!
You’ve been with the EnduroCross series from the be-
ginning. How have you seen it change over the years?
EnduroCross has changed quite a bit over the years. At first,
the races were more about survival and just trying to get
around the obstacle course. Bike setup was a mystery and
riders were trying all sorts of different things. Nowadays, rid-
ers know what to expect and prepare for. Many racers have
their own practice tracks and factory prepped EnduroCross
machines. The races are much faster and the course has more
jumps. The racing is as exciting as ever but it has become less
hard enduro and more arenacross.
So how do you train for EnduroCross and extreme rac-
ing?
For me the smartest way to train is to mix disciplines. I feel
like I’m riding my at my best when I’m comfortable in all situ-
ations. When I ride motocross it improves my jumping and
cornering skills, when I ride Trials it improves my precision
and line selection skills and when I ride EnduroCross it ties it
all together and gives me one hell of a workout! Riding differ-
ent bikes and tracks makes me a more well rounded rider and
ultimately makes me feel more confident in different situa-
tions. I feel this type of training regime has enabled me to be
a safer, better rider and have a long lasting career.
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