by Andy Bowyer
Rev Up: Cold
Thursday, November 1, 2012 | 10:30 AM
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PrintHello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Today is the first day of a new month and I will begin by offering my best to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. The whole thing reminded me of the movie, “The Day After Tomorrow,” but that was no Hollywood production we witnessed Monday night in New York City and along the upper Eastern seaboard. I’ve always held Mother Nature in a special regard and continue to be humbled by her dark side. Growing up in Kansas, we experienced tornadoes. I flinch every time I hear a siren, no matter what state i’m in. The past two years have manifested the most deadly tornado spawning storms in recorded history. Hurricanes appear to be on the same curve. Global Warming? Pollution? I don’t know. But I know the storms are getting worse. They’re a glaring reminder that as important as we all believe ourselves to be, we are merely ants in the face of Mother Nature.
The hurricane didn’t hit my place of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, but it did spin down some nasty wind and cold temperatures.
I smashed my finger this morning when I was taking out the trash. It was 37 degrees at 6:30 a.m. and I had to laugh because of the fit I threw over the pain. Things hurt worse when you get older, and I remembered having a much higher tolerance. As I was doing the Indian rain dance in the darkness of my driveway I thought back to the days of riding motocross in the month of November.
There is a majestic quality of riding and racing in the cold. My favorite memories of cold weather racing are standing in a huddle around a 55-gallon barrel burning trash. As kids we’d be talking about things from how awesome Ricky Johnson’s new helmet was, to who was going to try the inside gate on the holeshot, to who had managed to reach second base at Loretta Lynn’s a few months prior. I used to stand by the barrel until my moto was in staging then run to my bike and head up at the last minute. You always run a hooded sweatshirt under your chest protector, which for some reason always felt cool to me. I thought the hood hanging out the back looked outlaw style. I’d alternate goosing the throttle with one hand while warming my other glove on the exhaust.
The cold weather does evil things to motocross dirt. Those benevolent dirt clods you normally plow through are concrete marbles that will put you down quick. And if you are truly cold weather racing there is always a corner and section of the track that's still frozen. Frozen dirt is not only harder than granite, its slicker than ... well, it's very, very slick. I’ve had some of the weirdest and fastest get offs on frozen dirt. That dark, moist looking rut on the inside looks great to make a pass but when you try to put your wheels in it you instantly lose the grips. Even a low speed crash on cold will fold your handlebars and knock the ever living crap out of you.
Just this morning I was thinking about all of that as I barely grazed my finger. I thought, “Man, I use to be tougher.”
I’ll tell you what tough is. Tough is trying to change a Dunlop 752 rear tire in the back of your van whilst breathing the fumes of your propane heater. Chuck Norris himself isn’t putting tire irons around a frozen bead lock. You have to put the heat to them, then get the rubber on quick before it hardens again. Which, they do, and you slip your hands on the wrench and take your knuckles on a trip through your sprocket. (I know, flip it upside down ... but the brake rotor will still work you). Tough is dragging the aforementioned propane heater outside and putting it on your bike so the suspension oil changes viscosity from sludge to a race able condition.
The cold reminds me of my arenacross days. My lord, the arenacross days. I was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota one weekend during my 85cc career. I remember seeing my Pop’s bright red face as he came back from outside the arena warming up my bike. He just kind of gave me a convincing look like, “Didn’t drive all the way up here to lose.” I pinned it that weekend and got it done. My, my the arenacross days. Later in my pro years I remember being inside Will Roger’s Memorial Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and it was so, so cold. They had battened down the hatches and all of the carbon monoxide was left for the packed crowd to enjoy. Hell with the fans, we were out there sprinting a 15, then a 20 lap main event in that haze. I’ve never felt my lungs burn like that, ever.
My incident this morning brought me back to a much more poignant memory. It was at the 1994 GNC Finals at Lake Whitney, Texas. It was mid-March and about 42 degrees. Time for morning practice. I had spent most of the winter down there tearing off open practice laps and was salty for my second B class performance. Hoody and all, I shredded around the first lap of race practice like I owned the place and left it third-gear tapped over the famous post-finish table top. They had re-faced all of the jumps (including this one) and to my dismay what was previously robotic sent me a fair distance past the downside. I had thrown a sassy little kick-out off the lip (ten years before the scrub) but a panic revved followed. “O.J. City.”
I was already thinking about shifting into the next sweeper when I slapped down hard enough that my chin hit the cross bar. Pure luck allowed my hands to find the grips, but this was a “Flying-W” I wasn’t rolling away from. Like a fool, I rode it into the ground with my hands on the controls and that cold sand pressed my clutch lever into the bottom of my fingernails on my middle and ring fingers. It wasn’t a full yard sale, I kind of bulldogged it down, but something was amiss. A crucible of pain was in my left hand. In a panic I pulled my glove slowly off, but quickly pulled it back on when I saw both finger nails pointing north. I packed that hand between my legs as tightly as I could while a demon penetrated my brain. It was the worst. A foreign object tapped my shoulder and sympathetically asked, “You OK, son?” It was my Team Green manager, Mark Johnson. But, I didn’t care if it was my Pops, an infield E.M.T., or the hottest girl in the pits. My reaction was the face of Michael Jackson’s “Cat-Monster” when I screamed, “GO AWAY!” My eyes may have been yellow, red, or an evil juxtaposition of both. Everyone, including Mr. Johnson, separated and I got back on and slowly finished off the practice. The cold does some invigorating things to us.
There are aspects of our sport the normal motor sports fan does not have the ability to comprehend. From Ricky Carmichael, to the C Class rider on the starting gate at your local race ... only motocrossers know. It’s a burden and a blessing to be a part of this fraternity. Winter is here my motocross friends. Take what you know and move forward on its lessons. Anyone that has read this far knows all about having snot fly across their goggles and has wacthed the post moto steam emit from their body. In closing I want to reiterate on the thesis of this week's column. The world is getting older and we are getting older with it. We have to remember how we got to this point and appreciate why we are strong, yet be cognizant that we are vulnerable.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.
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I remember rolling in late at night and sleeping in the van with the bikes, Waking up all night cuz it was so cold!! nose red and frosted in the AM, a lite dusting of snow on everything windows frosted over. Ahhhhhhhhhh good times.
What is this nonsense? It's finally cooling down enough to start day riding!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Tucson+AZ+USAZ0247
yeah, suck it rest of the country
I remember racing in Dec.& Jan. putting your Maico in the van so it would start thank you for the memories it was good time.
Why BroFoSho because your to much of a puss to ride in the heat??
It was Spring Fling 1997 I think; Open B at Moreland’s MX in Michigan; just off the start & around turn 1 a KX500 shot a lime sized rock that grazed my front brake lever (left a grove in it) & impaled my right hand pointer finger. I went into the 2nd blind from the pain. Riding my CR 5-hundie I managed to finish the moto by passing the aforementioned KX big-bore in the final S turns before the flag. When I got back to the truck & removed my blood stained glove I dipped it in my wash basin (always prepared pre-moto) & my skin rolled back to show a portion of fingernail which by design is not meant to be seen. OUCH! I made my way to the ambulance to have the EMT “Mrs Moreland” pour iodine over said finger OWWWWWWWW!!!!! I’ve never before or since nearly punched a woman involuntarily. Thanks for the memories. That nail is still disfigured to this day…
Best rev-up in awhile, in my opinion. Being from Wisconsin, this article definitely rings true. Hoodies, heating suspension and motors, and dirt that's frozen, yet thawing on top throughout the day to create a layer of snot so slick it might as well be ice...aaahhh.
Man, it used to get terribly cold at the tracks here in So. Cal. It was like, in the low 50's................................in know.
Bro, The storm didn't happen because of fake "global warming". The Earth's weather is controlled by the Sun. Ever heard of a solar flare or the sun cycle?
People who thikn CO2 makes storms are retarded.
Yes, the cold is not pleasant. November 30th we are TX bound for 2 weeks of riding at 956, River Valley, 3 Palms and Underground. Hopefully, the weather holds and stays warm.
Good article....brought back many memories
While I have quite a few bad crash stories (like the time I slid out on takeoff....it was a cold day and a terential downpour just started..... and I did an involantary split on the landing right onto my footpeg....which did not fold...and stuck into me in the one place you REALLY don't want that to happen......I was in second in my second expert race.....EVERYONE landed on me!.....my girlfriend almost passed out in the ambulance when they took my pants off.
But this story reminded me of something I had forgotten. Binghamton NY....early am....125B first moto....snow flurries.....ice on the track. I had to jump the damn plateau on the first lap...was dumb....slid out on takeoff....almost saved it....crashed pretty violently.....but somehow held the clutch lever in. When I went to get up, the clutch perch was all mangled, as were my gloves and fingers. I tried to look at my hand but couldn't pull it away from the bars...something was like holding my finger.
I pulled the glove back some more.....the clutch cable was all frayed....one of the strands had gone under my finger nail, and out the side of my finger behind the back of the nail. It probably hurt more because of my frozen fingers. I remember thinking "no one is going to believe this"...I tried to put the bike in neutral so I could start it, pop it in gear and ride back without pulling the cable out of my finger....I really wanted to see my Moms and my girlfriends reaction! It didn't work and I had to pull it out to ride back....hurt like hell!....damn frozen dirt!
dont think ive ever put a propane heater to the suspension, but ive definitely done it up close and right next to the motor. You ever try starting a 450 at 530 a.m. in 35* weather? You'd have more luck pulling yourself out of a sandtrap. frozen dirts another good one. I remember racing in Cedar City Utah and watching the first big bike practice go into the first turn and quickly all start sliding for home plate.
@BillC- Glad to see you made it htrough the storm! Hadn't heard anything from you in a few days. Did you get snow? Not sure where in NY you are. So, this talk about riding in the cold? I'm thinkin' these guys don't know what cold is! Did you ever throw some screws in your tires and ride on a snowmobile trail? Or go out on a lake-plow a track- and roost? That's some fun stuff right there! All them studs ready to shred you when you go down. Ha ha, Can't be scared! I've ridin' when it was -20 degrees! No big deal! Crash on rock hard frozen ice. Yeah, you hit real hard. But man, a two stroke runs sooooo good when it is that cold. Crisp throttle all the time. You must have done this too, haven't you BillC? Lotsa guys come out and do this around here. Some years we would meet at the lake every Sunday. Then guys started goin' down on Sat. to be dialed in for Sun. Ya, it's THAT fun!
I am in CT Bucky, No power at my house for 2 1/2 day but I have a hole house gen so no big deal, My shop only lost power for a little bit late monday. Lots of trees down had a hard time getting home monday night. goiung under trees that are hanging on the power lines in a few spots!!
.OH hell yes I have ridding the MX bikes in the winter!! LOL funny story one time out on a lake in MA on the Sleds and some dude's comes out onto the lake with CR500's all studed up but they are not to good. We get talking to them and he lets me take the bike for a Rip... Well they made me feel like RC LOL they could not believe the crap I was doing and were going nuts. Ahhh good times
I used to sleep in my van on race weekends all the time and wake up to frost on the windows. It was hard to get motivated to get out of the warm sleeping bag and go out to kick the cold Maico 100 times to get it started.
Once I went to a little track in coastal NC to practice and no one else showed up. I was going to sleep in my van that night and hope the wusses were there the next day, but the nearby farm family almost literally dragged me to their house, fed me, and let me sleep in their extra BR. It was going to get into the low 30s and they thought I was insane. I was from Minnesota, so that didn't seem like that big of a deal to me.
The views expressed by BroFoSho are not necessarily representative of Arizona riders, the AZ tourist bureau, or Ryan Clark.
when we move to NC from MD , one of my first thoughts was "we can ride year round down here !! " So , on one of ours first rides down here was in Oakboro NC at robbins ridge mx.. night ride , super nice track ... 35 degrees .. freezing our arsses off , but so much fun..
Growing up in southern California my brother and I were not use to any type of bad weather let alone that white cold stuff. Woke up in the morning at a district 37 desert race cold as hell and there was all that cold white stuff on the ground, my brother and I did rock paper sizers to figure out who was going to get our riding bags from out side, of corse our shoes were out there also. I lost!
Great article. Brings backs memories of racing and rideing in western PA.
Good read Andy. Unfortunately here in England those conditions are year round. I remember at one meeting the announcer called everybody for first practice, nobody went, 10 minutes he called again, nobody went. Ten minutes later " please lads somebody go out " Welcome to sunny England.
@BillC-Thought you were in NY. My bad. But glad to hear all is well out there. Sounds nasty. Seeing a lot of stuff on TV. I had a couple friends that always had CR 500"s studded up. Rode em a few times myself. Too much fun! Once when out racing on the ice, I stayed out too long, too fun, the cold didn't stop me. But after a long stint on the ice , I stopped and felt something strange. That sensation you get in your fingers when they start to thaw out. Yeah, well I had a pile of snow in my crotch from all the roost, and when I stopped riding, I felt that "tingle" in my lower unit! At first I was like"How damn cold did it get?" Anyway, after a short moment of concern, everything thawed out and works just fine! Only me. That is like freezing your tongue. It just doesn't happen. Unless you are me, I guess. Was so funny and strange, I told some people that were there. And this one gal almost peeed herself laughing. Yeah, the good old days. Well, maybe not so much that one! lol Top that cold story!
LOL Bucky!! You almost frozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzze of the twig?? LOL should have had that girl help you warm it up!! could have told her it was life or death!! ( in some ways it would be)
I raced at Southwick with 6" of snow on the track!! No rocks at the wick so they could get away with it. It was April 1st 1983. Mom woke me up and said it snowed last night!! I said April fools but she was not joking!!
opps 1984 I ment. It was my first MX race ever, my new KX 125
Oh yeah, BillC! It was a cold one that day. And a day I will never forget! SHe was a cutie and could thaw my dipstick anytime, but I don't think her husband would have liked it! My first race was 1981, on a RM 125, it was a few years old and I was a Kawi guy too so went out and bought a new 1981 KX 125. Air cooled and easy to work on. But never really gave me any problems. Next year, bought the KX 250. First year, first bike with a front disc break. Still air cooled. Was good to me as well, but the Uni Trak left a little to be desired...