Lots of people question my motocross riding. I don't really race or even ride on a track. I like to ride on trails and backroads, then go out and do some tricks and stunts on some random hills in a random field. I'm more of a freestyle motocross rider (FMX), and enduro rider (trail riding). Anyway, people have told me it's bad for my health, but it isn't. People say not only will the two-stroke fumes destroy my lungs, but the dust will too. If I crash and break a rib, many people think that would be the end of me, but I'm too healthy and tough to think so.
I make sure to wear a bandanna under my full-face helmet every time I ride to protect myself against the dust. If I know I'll be riding somewhere new and unfamiliar, such as a new mountain trail or rough field, I'll wear all of my gear, including motocross boots, torso armor, arm guards, shin/thigh guards, gloves, neck collar (So if I fall, I won't break my neck), cinch (also known as a kidney belt), motocross pants (which are usually made of leather and nylon), a motocross jersey, my helmet and goggles, a bandanna, and layer on the hoodies depending on the weather.
In the last few years of riding dirtbikes, the fumes haven't affected my lung function or performance in any way. I still have the same stats that I've had for the last 5 years, but I'm just stronger and taller, and I continue to get stronger and healthier. I must admit, my favorite smell in the world is two-stroke smoke, and I'm pretty sure dad and I got kinda high when we were working on my bike in the warehouse and revving up with the doors closed. That would logically explain why my dad thought it was a good idea to dump 1.5 gallons of old dirtbike gas down the warehouse toilet, and I just laughed and didn't even try to stop him. It still smells a bit like gasoline in there to this day.
If I crash and break a rib, it wouldn't kill me. I'd just have to modify some treatments to avoid making it worse. There is a machine that I used for awhile, that forces air deep into my lungs, and brings the bad stuff up when the air rushes out. I never want to break myself in any way, but I have plans just in case I do. I'll probably never stop riding dirtbikes until I get too old to ride. There's just a freedom in riding that isn't like freedom found anywhere else. I'm free from the world and my thoughts. I'm free from my disease, and I'm truly wild and free. I can't think about my future when I'm gunning it close to 70 miles an hour down a county dirt road. When I ride, I don't think, I just react.
People think that motocross riders have to think about their actions. From the outside looking in, it does look complicated. I mean, my heel has its own rut around turns, and I have to remember what gear I am in, but somehow I don't really recall the gear I'm in, or really when, where, or how I lay down the bike on my foot when I'm turning. I just know. In fact, a lot of good dirtbike riders will say these things.
Anyone can ride a dirtbike, but not everyone knows how to ride. There's a huge difference, but it's almost impossible to put into words. I guess you can just tell who knows what they're doing, and who doesn't know. Those who don't know how to ride tend to have way more fails than wins, and they almost always overestimate themselves. Those who actually do know how to ride, don't always have a lot of confidence, but don't fail often either. Take me, for example. If I didn't second-guess and doubt myself all the time, I'd be winning races right now. But I don't like crowds, and I especially don't like busy tracks, and I always think of the worst case ever. Last time I rode on a track, there was a collision on a nearby track that sent two people to the hospital. I guess one guy jumped over a hill and landed on another rider. At least, that was what I heard. That image has stuck with me.
Anyways, when people say motocross is bad for my health, I tell them their attitude is bad for their health. That tends to shut people up pretty quickly. I promise I'm the nicest and most loyal friend you could ever have, but I have boundaries, and when people cross those boundaries, I use my sarcasm and wit to get them away.
