Winter Pros and Cons
Photo by Trisha Beaupre
As the winter months tick by, it's worth observing some of the motocross ups and downs of this season. There are lots of things I love and hate about being a rider during the winter, and I wouldn't be surprised if you have some of your own, which you should feel free to post here or on the message board. But in the meantime, here are some of mine:
Pro: Moisture. Around here, winter means precipitation, and precipitation means good dirt. After a long, dry summer (which, in northern Nevada, usually follows a long, dry spring and precedes a long, dry fall,) a little water in the dirt is what knobbies everywhere have been waiting for. And at the moment, there is a lot of water in the dirt. Good stuff.
Con: Frozen moisture. Snow is great for riding when it melts, but until it does, you're probably better off sliding down a mountain with some kind of stick (or sticks) strapped to your feet.
Pro: Fewer races. Say what? While races are great, a little off-time can do wonders for your fitness and budget. Having all that off-time can allow you to get lots of practice while your rivals sip hot cocoa and eat pie in front of the fire. And not having to cough up money for entry fees and new rear tires on a weekly basis can help you afford big-time upgrades that you've been wanting, like a new helmet or that carbon-fiber subframe you've had your eye on.
Con: Fewer races. Without events to showcase it, that carbon-fiber subframe will largely go unnoticed for the time being.
Pro: Supercross. There's no more exciting time of year to be a motocross fan than during the start of supercross. New bikes, new teams, new graphics--you can't beat Anaheim One in terms of fan anticipation.
Con: Live supercross broadcasts. Sure, they're awesome to watch, but my wife is not keen on my spending three and a half hours on the couch on an otherwise open Saturday night. She will let me watch, but it almost always cost me some compensatory gesture later (an extra-long trip through the Maternity section at Target, for instance.)
Pro: Improved endurance. Cold weather is easy on the body when it comes to endurance, and it's fun to feel like a hero after putting in 20 laps on a 30-degree day. Come July, when you're down to two and a half laps before you collapse from heat exhaustion, it's comforting to think back to how fit you were in January.
Con: Bike washes. Unlike summer bike washes, in which the mist from the hose is a gentle relief, winter bike washes leave my hands numb and twisted, my shoes frozen. And it's also nearly impossible to dry the bike once pogonip settles on it.
I could think of more, but I don't want to steal everyone's thunder. If you can think of any, feel free to write yours up. I mean, it's winter. What else are you going to do?
