Getting Back Up

Track racing is one hundred percent Focus.  If you lose focus for a second, you can crash. It's just like that, your whole season ruined from one split second when you weren't paying attention.  As you see the boards rushing towards your face you know you've messed up. I'm not going to lie... crashing hurts!  Its not surprising when you hit the ground doing 40kms and you're wearing next to nothing. On the road, crashes are more easily avoided, this is purely because the speed is lower and you have more room to maneuver. Now I've been hit by cars, crashed into rock walls, gutters, and I've had more than my fair share of meet and greets with the asphalt.  But, every time I find myself lying on the road watching the race disappear into the distance, I think "how could I have avoided it and try to do better next time".  That's the whole point of crashing, you have to learn from it, get up and do it all over again.  You have to lift yourself off the road and start to recover so that you can get right back into it.   Crashing scares a lot of people.  I have seen people crash for the first time then throw in the towel and never ride again. But to me, that just isn't an option.  When I was growing up my parents taught me that if you get knocked down you get back up and come back twice as strong.  Every time you go down, you have to get right back up.  Otherwise you won't ever achieve anything in life. If I quit every time I crashed, well I would have quit 6 times in 5 months.  So take it from me - getting up makes you stronger, every time you get knocked down in life, pick yourself up and come back twice as strong. 

Owen Gillott