This is an excerpt from our Racer X Online Longform feature “Kevin Windham’s Lost Seasons.” Read the whole thing on May 1st at racerxonline.com/lostseasons.

Kevin Windham’s place in motocross history is well secured. Two championships, 46 wins in AMA Supercross/Motocross, wins in the Motocross of Nations and the FIM World Championship, and 15 top-three overall finishes—incredibly ten as runner-up to the champion. Simply put, Windham is a legend. The last ten years of his career, which ended in 2013, saw him become a massive fan favorite. It seemed like he could do no wrong.

This isn’t that story.

This is the lesser-known story of Kevin Windham losing his way mid-career—both on and off the track—getting badly hurt, and then retiring in 2002. Had he had stuck to his decision, the second half of his career would never have happened.

This is the story of Kevin Windham’s midlife crisis, as told by:

Kevin Windham: Factory Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and GEICO Honda rider
Alley Semar: Windham’s race and practice mechanic
Jeff Surwall: Windham’s agent and No Fear MX owner
Roger De Coster: Former team manager, factory Suzuki
Jeff Stanton: Former champion and advisor, factory Honda
Randy Richardson: Michelin’s director of two-wheeled motorsports