My bike - I call her the bluebird
I've been riding vintage motocross for just over a year now and I'm pleased to say that I am improving. I bought myself a solo bike because I was swinging on the sidecar with my husband and I decided since I was going to be spending all day at the track anyway, I might as well take part in the rest of the events. I'm also very lucky that the club I'm a member of, VMXWA, are really supportive of new riders and quite happy for me to putt along at the back of the pack. When I first started, I had very little experience on a motorbike and I think someone could have walked around the track faster than I rode around it!
My first aim was not to get lapped. You see even for C Grade I was riding so slowly that the faster riders could catch up to me on the second lap! After a few race meetings I managed to get across the line before the winner so I could do a third lap.
My next goal was to be able to keep up with someone. Now, by keep up I meant still be able to see them in the far distance so I wasn't completely alone on the track finishing my last lap. LOL! Bit by bit I got faster. I was able to stay close enough to the end runners for the first lap or two, but eventually they'd pull ahead. Then one of the early meetings this year I achieved my goal. The rider ahead of me was just going across the finish line as I was coming down the final hill (about 200 metres behind)! I was ecstatic! I felt as if I was getting faster and improving.
My next aim was to actually pass someone (not including those whose bike had broken down on the track!). I am pleased to announce on Sunday I achieved my goal. We had a couple of new riders at the track and for the first two races they were a few hundred metres in front of me. On the third race I realised that the guy in front was going around the corners quite slowly. I thought I can go faster than that. Corner by corner I reeled him in, leaving my braking as long as I could and accelerating faster out of the corners. On the back straight he was only about fifty metres in front of me and there were a whole lot of corners before the finish line. I realised that I might actually be able to catch him. My focus was absolute and I rode faster than I ever have before. On the final straight before the finish line he was right next to me. I gunned my bike and went perhaps faster than was wise over the last hill, before braking sharply. On the last S bend I went wide on the first corner but it gave me the inside line on the final corner and I crossed the finish line a second in front of him.
I was so excited that I whooped as I went over the finish line and then promptly rode off the track into a pile of bushes at the pit return! Whoops! The nearby flaggie came over and helped me lift my bike out and I was able to do my victory high fives to my husband who was standing by the fence applauding my efforts. It was definitely the highlight of my VMX career to date.
But now that I've achieved that, I need to figure out what my next goal should be. Perhaps I can work my way up to being third last. 🙂 I'm in no rush to be at the front of the pack. Slow and steady does it as I gain skills and confidence in my riding ability. The main thing is I'm having fun.
