Devon TRF Group Forum

Found this on another forum thought it was a good read

(TL;DR I went to Germany, did motocross, had a blast and made some new friends Photos buried in the text! Also - video in one of my posts at the bottom)

(This will be a long (5,116 words) post!

Despite what my username on this forum would suggest, I have never done any motocross, enduro or any off road riding other than attending a speedway school with the Swindon Robins when I was 10 years old (so thats 15 years ago then ) and spending probably enough of my parents money at motorbike rallies before I hit my teens on those Mickeys Mini Motos things to buy myself a bike. I have however always ridden mountain bikes and even raced to a national level on various occasions).

Anyone whos known me for any longer than about 5 seconds will know that Ive always always always wanted to have a proper go at motocross. Various reasons have prevented me from doing this I grew up in the middle of a city and my family were never well off so that was a motocross bike crossed off my Christmas list every year then when I got old enough to earn my own money I either spent it on mountain bikes or had other interests as Id still need lifts with a bike to a track or had to put money into whatever vehicle I was running at the time etc etc! Either way it was one of those maybe next year things that we all have that always seemed just out of grasp.

I met my girlfriend Eileen a few years ago at college. Weve been going steady for a year now and were good friends before we got together. Shes from Berlin and has a lot of family there (Im writing this out in Berlin as it happens) and shes the kind of woman that likes to help people out wherever she can despite there being nothing in it for her. We hit it off pretty soon after meeting and spent more time together mainly getting frustrated with our college being rubbish but wed always end up talking about stuff we each wanted to do. Id always bore her to death about wanting to try motocross and the glory days of my mountain bike racing until one day she mentions that (stay with me here) her Dads Girlfriends Daughters Boyfriend rides motocross and has done since he was a kid. She offers to ask if theres any chance I could get a ride on his bike at some point if I ever make it out to Berlin so obviously I say yes but never expect anything to come of it.

Forgive me while I gloss over how Eileen and I got together, this is a bike forum after all and you all just want to see photos of motorbike related stuff! Fast forward 2 years and Eileen not only made the call but Im preparing to drive out to Berlin with Eileen for a bit of a break before starting my third year of university. The trip is also due to include a days motocross riding with Eileens Dads Girlfriends Daughters Boyfriend (or Frank, seeing as thats his name ). Not only has he organised a day at a track suitable for beginners hes also managed to get me a bike to use for the day from one of his friends and has arranged for me to borrow all the gear Id need to ride safely! I should probably mention at this point that Frank speaks very limited English, his girlfriend (Madi) speaks much less English than he does and Eileens Dad and his partner speak almost no English. My German language skills are non-existent, I cant even recall any old high school German lessons as I only had useless Spanish and French lessons . Id also like to point out that Id met Frank and Madi only once before when they came to visit Eileen in Manchester for a few days so for him to have gone out of his way to arrange not only a bike but safety gear and a suitable track to ride after only meeting me once was amazingly generous and I was totally blown away before I even got to Berlin!

So the deal was Id ride motocross with Frank for a day and hed show me some techniques and give me some tips and then wed go mountain biking another day and swap the teacher/pupil roles as he wanted to learn some mountain bike techniques. Obviously I was super excited and was sure that nothing would dampen my spirits, not even the 900 mile drive from Manchester to Berlin. I packed in the usual 5-minutes-before-leaving fashion I have adopted for any important trip and as such forgot a lot of important things I needed for other parts of the trip (I had clean underwear, enough t-shirts to last me through, my passport as well as my MX helmet and gloves, what more did I need??). The drive was long and sucky:

22 hours into the drive

But that was nothing compared to what was just a few hours up the road The clutch on my car decided it had had enough just 15 miles away from our final destination in Berlin and as such the car had to be recovered from the Berlin Ring Road after a 24ish hour drive from Manchester! This is where I was glad Eileen has retained her typical German efficiency despite living in the UK for 12 years, shed bought EU breakdown cover the day before we left and it was worth every penny of the £72 it cost (massive massive thumbs up to GreenFlag for their efficient and helpful service here).

Well by now my spirits had been well and truly dampened to the tune of £320 and a new clutch but thats another story for another time

ANYWAY

Id recovered from the Thursday/Friday drive and had arranged with Frank to make it to his place for about 9am so we could convoy to the track in his van and Madis car. (These Germans like early mornings eh?). Frank and Madi picked us up from the train station and after a quick fuel stop we were off. The track was a couple of hours away from Franks place so we had plenty of time for some tomfoolery on the way:

Whilst there was a definite language barrier between Frank and I we managed to have totally normal conversations about motorbikes, Nitro Circus, speedway, life in Germany vs life in the UK, mountain biking and pretty much anything really. I wont lie, I was apprehensive that the language barrier would prove to be a major stumbling point and wed be sat in awkward silence for a few hours. I neednt have worried however as Frank and I got on like a house on fire as long as we remembered to talk slowly and clearly to each other - it was all good! As we got closer to the track Frank began talking to me about his bike (Honda CRF250R) and the bike Id be riding. He decides this is a good time to tell me that the bike hes managed to borrow for me (a Suzuki RMZ250) has been bored out to 290cc by its owner, what better state of tune for a total beginners go on a motocross bike around a proper track!! Not like I wasnt nervous before I knew that

So we arrive at the track in Jüterborg and Frank sorts out all the disclaimers and stuff youre supposed to sign that say you wont sue if you break yourself etc and Im just left to poo my pants. As weve pulled up Ive seen some other people at the track already tearing the place up. Im terrified Ill be holding people up all over the show, be falling off every second corner and just generally struggling and not enjoying myself. You know how they say you should never meet your heroes? This was kind of the same thing. Ive been wanting to do motocross since I was about 3 years old and Im 30 minutes away from ending a 22 year wait so obviously Im a bit apprehensive as to whether itll live up to whats in my head!

Luckily Frank and the glamorous pit girls (Eileen and Madi!) were on hand to calm my nerves! Frank gives me some long johns as the velcro on the pads I had were rubbing my legs a bit. Obviously they were the latest in motocross technical base layer technology, no scrimping here!

There are worse photos of me on the internet

And then its over to start the bike. Ive nicknamed the bike Psycho Suzi, it just made me feel a bit better at the time is all

Just before we set off for my first ever lap of a motocross track Frank re-assures me that this is a popular track with beginners and everyone knows it. The track isnt busy and if I need to take my time then do it. I wont be in anyones way and if someone comes up behind me then just let them overtake me however they like. We agree that hell ride ahead of me and Ill just try and get around the track and stop after a few laps.

Ive ridden various bikes on the road for about 8 years now ranging from 125cc up to 1100cc and have done over 100,000 miles in my time in all weathers (including 6 harsh North Wales winters!) in various countries so like to think I have a pretty good handle on bikes. Nothing could have prepared me for the ferocity of that bike though! Whether it was the sound of the un-baffled exhaust or the way the back wheel just span anywhere, anytime, in any gear or the way the bike was just squirrelling everywhere on the ruts in the track or whether I was just so pumped on adrenaline that everything felt like warp speed I just dont know! The bike had masses of power right through the rev range and every time I cracked the throttle open it felt like it was trying its best to tear my arms right out of their sockets.

I struggled around a couple of laps of the track. I didnt fall but I was far from fast or even competent! I had plenty of moments where I was sure I was about to die or have a horrible crash but luckily through no design of my own I managed to stay upright. Frank would ride ahead then wait for me after every couple of corners to make sure I was still the right way up and there were no bones sticking out. Eileen and Madi likened us to a mother duck looking after its young as Frank would stop and keep looking behind until he could see me again

After 3 laps I needed to give my knuckles a break as they were the whitest theyd ever been. Frank pulls up and we basically go over the track, how Im feeling and what I want to do next. Frank imparts some helpful tips and then its another few laps before pulling in for a lunch break (The tracks in Germany have a break between midday and 2pm to allow for track maintenance). After another chat about technique (Frank has followed me a bit to look at what Im doing/not doing) we decide to walk the track. As you can see from the photos it was a gorgeous day - 22ish degrees, blue skies and no wind. Obviously the girls were there to offer helpful advice on lines and techniques

Lunch break over and its back to the track. My arms had taken a battering after the morning sessions but Franks tip to grip and steer the bike with my legs/thighs drastically improved my handling over the rough stuff and I felt much more in control. I also felt my confidence building over the jumps. I was keen to find out how it compared to jumping my downhill mountain bike. I figured theyre both bikes with lots of suspension so whats the difference? Quite a lot it seemed!! Ive no doubt my mountain bike experience helped but Id liken the skills crossover between motocross and mountain biking to that of driving a car and an artic lorry. Sure theyre both driving but are still totally different! Anyway, here are some photos of me and Frank being reckless:

Frank shows the correct technique for looking cool

Frank shows me the right way to jump!

A few laps later (this motocross business is tiring stuff yknow!) we stop for a quick break and decide to ride the track in sections so Frank can coach me a bit and show me some more helpful stuff.

We ride a series of flat corners on the track and Franks advice of sitting almost on the tank, having my elbows out wide and really attacking the corners help loads and my speed improves drastically after hitting the section a few times. Id struggled here previously as I was sitting too far back on the seat as I would on a road bike which let the front wheel just sort of float around the place without finding grip. Id dropped the bike a couple of times too on these corners because of bad technique so Franks tutoring sorted all that out and really improved my speed on this section of the track. We decided that Id had enough tutoring for one day (theres only so much I can process in one day!) and opt to just ride the track for a bit before packing up and heading home. Again, Im amazed at just how physical motocross is and after a few laps and a slow speed spill in the flat corners Im done for the day!

Frank shows us whos number one!

The day comes to an end and were packing up the bikes and getting out of our (highly technical ) motocross gear. Im knackered, elated and pumped full of adrenaline but also bummed out as I know that the chances of me doing this again anytime soon are slim to none. This is when Eileen decides to tell me that shes just arranged with Frank for us to go motocrossing again the following Thursday on a different track just outside of Berlin! Suddenly Im buzzing again and the 2 hour drive back to Eileens Dads house passes in a blur of motocross technique talk and me annoying Frank with questions about what the other track is like. I notice Im stiffening up a bit on the drive back but just write it off after a hard days riding. We get back to the house and stuff our faces with a typical German spread of a million different meats, breads and spreads and a selection of beers and spirits!

I wake the next day and cant move! Im sure Ive broken myself somehow but it turns out Im just aching so much as Ive used muscles I didnt even know I had the day before. The bikes are left in the garage ready for Frank to prep before the next riding session.

Ive got 4 days to get fit again before the next day of motocross. Luckily Eileen and I have a lot planned and do some typical holiday things. After a trip to Poland, an outdoor cinema, family visits and traipsing around Berlin its time for day two of my childhood dream!

Weve arranged to meet at Frank and Madis place for breakfast at 8am (seriously Germany, I wouldnt mind a lie in) and another typically lavish German spread awaits us! We stuff our faces with a selection of bread and meat and then stock up on energy drinks before heading out in convoy to Schwedt Motocross track which apparently held an MX3 motocross round last year. No sweat for a beginner then!

Frank and I once again overcome the quickly shrinking language barrier on the journey to the track and talk about family (turns out his cousin won the German speedway championship the weekend we were in Jüterborg!) as well as about how my parents feel after seeing the photos of me riding motocross on facebook. Ive realised that the language barrier is only as much of a hindrance as we want to make it (which is none at all!) and we both have a lot of mutual interests and pick up where we left off last time.

We arrive at the track and suit up. Im much quicker gearing up this time as I have a much better idea of what to expect and the track is deserted as weve come on a Thursday when everyone else is in work (Frank managed to wrangle a day off work just to take me motocrossing!) so Im not worried about holding anyone up this time. Again Frank has managed to secure the use of Psycho Suzi and all the gear I need to stay safe as well as having an apparently endless supply of fuel, energy drinks and cereal bars to see us through the day. The astounded and almost offended look he gave me when I tried to offer him money for diesel at the petrol station was mimicked when I offered money for the track fee. Having spoken with Eileen about it (obviously Eileen is fluent in both English and German) she tells me that hes just happy to have helped me tick something off my bucket list. Im still reeling from his generosity now and cant thank him enough for what hes done for me. He mentioned something about me buying him some drinks next time he comes to Manchester but I think Im going to have to buy shares in a brewery just to go some way towards paying him back!

We hit the track and I quickly realise that I may be slightly out of my depth. The track is much longer than the Jüterborg track, has many different kinds of jumps (not just the tabletops I got used to on the previous track) and has a lot of elevation changes meaning there are steep inclines and sharp descents mixed in with tricky off camber turns. To top it off the track looks like its been raced on recently and has yet to be smoothed out so there are lots of ruts to contend with and the Berlin sun has dried the track out a lot so there are sections of deep sand that make it tricky for a beginner like me to even get around the whole track. We ride a few whole laps of the track before I have to stop to give my hands and arms a break. I feel Ive regressed a bit and have forgotten a lot of the tips and techniques Frank had shown me last time and I got a bit frustrated with myself for being so daunted by the track.

Frank picks up on my frustrations as he is also looks a bit miffed at the condition of the track. He quickly suggests we ride the first half of the track which consists mainly of tabletops and bermed corners and is made up of harder packed sandy dirt so is easier to ride. Im relieved hes suggested it before I did and after some drinks were back out on the track. Riding the easier half of the track made it easier for me to remember the advice Frank had given me last time and my confidence on the track came on in leaps and bounds. I was particularly fond of a 30ft tabletop jump and after a few runs at it Frank gave me some tips for jumping it properly. He tells me I need to carry some more speed from the previous corner and to give it a bit of throttle going up the jump. Hed already explained to me how I could control the pitch of the bike in the air by tapping the back brake (to bring the rear up) or giving it some throttle (to drop the rear) and to land on positive throttle to make the landing smoother.

It was an awful lot to remember, especially as Im just used to hitting jumps on my mountain bike and not having to worry about most of that stuff! It took me a few runs to hit the jump fully committed but I eventually managed to pull it all together and was rewarded with some decent air time and a smooth and buttery landing! There was no stopping us now as Frank and I both took lap after lap to hit the jump over and over, Frank would follow me in and Id occasionally glance over to see Frank flying through the air right next to me, it felt insane!

Frank showing me the emergency eject procedure!

Me getting a feel for the jump

Frank gesturing that I need to go higher!

Trying to carry my speed into the tabletop

This was awesome!


It was Frank who stopped first this time. I was on such a high riding this jump that I probably wouldnt have stopped until the bike ran out of petrol if Id of been on my own! He suggests that we go and get some drinks and something to eat then try and practice some cornering techniques on a long half flat, half bermed corner at the start of the track. This was fine with me so it was a quick pit stop and back to the track. Before we started practicing the corner I was keen to get a sequence shot of me hitting the jump that wed just been practicing so I set Eileen and Madi up with the camera at the jump. I hadnt really noticed the wind picking up a bit as the track was so undulating - it was sheltered in places but obviously totally exposed in the air over the jumps. Frank goes ahead for a few laps and nails some good sequence shots.

Then its my turn. I still felt really confident on the approach to the jump for the first few laps but as soon as I was in the air on my third attempt I felt the bike veer to the right in a gust of wind. I stiffened up and panicked and landed a bit sideways. As Id tightened my grip due to panicking I landed with an open throttle and the bike shot off to the left of the track and I went down pretty hard on my left side/shoulder. I jumped straight up and thankfully all of the armour I was wearing saved me from any injury, I didnt even stall the bike! Unfortunately the camera was setup on a tripod for the sequence shot so my crash wasnt captured on camera, I was rather gutted to learn that no one even saw the crash! After checking me and the bike over Frank said I must hit the jump again straight away or the fear will take over. I gulp a quick mouthful of energy drink to wash the sand out of my mouth and despite my confidence being less than half of what it was before I manage to hit the jump again and land it clean! This is what it looked like:

Eileen was keen to get a shot of us jumping from the rear (Im pretty sure she just wanted to look at my bum in motocross trousers ) so we take a few more laps to hit the jump but my confidence had waned after the fall and with the wind picking up. She got the shots and then after another quick break we went on to ride the corner at the start of the track.

Frank styling it up

Me trying not to die

Me showing everyone how much my hands were shaking!

Due to the race prior to us riding the track there was already a rut most of the way around the corner leading into a bit of a berm and then into a bumpy straight. The entrance to the corner was a sort of sweeping left hander down a hill. I really struggled with the downhill entrance. It felt odd trying to come in hot on a downhill section hoping that Id hit the rut that would carry me around the corner.

I also struggled a bit with the exit of the corner. The smoothest line was to bear left out of the corner for the following right hander. If you went straight on out of the corner youd hit a really bumpy section of track as I did on more than one occasion. It was a bit of a suspension test for sure!

Frank once again pulls me to the side of the track and offers me some line choice advice as well as tips on steadying the bike and reminding me about some of the cornering techniques hed taught me previously and before long were both churning up the corner good and proper! Obviously Frank was doing it more properly than me but I was still having fun and was glad to be finding my confidence again after leaving most of it at the base of the jump further down the track.

Throughout the day Eileen and Madi followed us around to take photos, carry drinks for Frank and I and keep each other company. There were a few occasions where they took matters into their own hands though!

After a while sessioning the corner Frank suggests we ride some full laps and the call it a day. Were both getting tired so we decide to call it quits while were (relatively!) ahead. I manage three laps before being forced to stop in a totally knackered heap at the side of the track. Frank goes on to tell me that a single motocross race is 20 minutes plus 5 laps and theres 4 races in a race day! It leaves me thinking that Id need to seriously hit the gym if I was to take up motocross riding not only for endurance and stamina training but also general strength training as once again I could feel myself stiffening up as soon as we had stopped. As we pack up Frank practices his wheelies and I take a few more photos of Psycho Suzi:

Im once again left pumped full of adrenaline and totally buzzing yet a little bummed that I know that this will actually be the last time I get to ride motocross in a long time. I have no doubt that the next 9 months of my life will be ruled by academia, essays and getting annoyed at university so I try my best to keep the stoke going for as long as possible. Frank assures me that Ive improved tremendously over the two days of riding weve had and has been thoroughly impressed by my riding. Its a testament to his coaching and advice that Ive even been able to get the bike airborne at all let alone inject any kind of pace into my riding. I still have a very long way to go before Id consider myself even an average motocross rider but its easy to get caught up in the technicalities.

Whilst the language barrier between Frank and I had been broken down day by day I found myself frustrated that I couldnt truly express my gratitude to him for all the things hed arranged for me and allowed me to experience. As I said at the start of this post, Id wanted to ride motocross since I was a kid and now I can well and truly tick that off my bucket list thanks to the generosity of Frank and Madi. He managed to find me a bike to use, all of the protective clothing Id need to ride safely (and it wasnt 30 year old stuff hed found in his attic either!), hed sourced tracks that would be suitable for my abilities and took care of all the admin and sign-ons as well as all the fuel/bike prep and energy drinks dont forget wed only really met once before this week!

We stopped at a bar on the way home for a meal (schnitzel and chips for me please!) where Eileen and I managed to wrestle the bill from Frank:

And after a quick drive back to Frank and Madis place to pick the car up and arrange a time to go mountain biking (I wish I was joking when I say it was an 8am start) it was a short drive back to Berlin where I lasted about 5 seconds before crashing out for the night!

Im aware this post is already quite long so Ill leave all the mountain bike stuff out. Frank improved loads over the day though and earned a new nickname No Fear Frank!

Im in Berlin for a few more days yet and Eileen and I will be meeting Frank and Madi for some drinks tomorrow evening. I cant help but feel that even despite there being obvious language issues that Frank and I will become close friends (although it seems obvious we already have). I guess it doesnt matter if you cant speak the same language as long as youre having a good time together and while I mentioned several times in this post that Frank would show me tips and techniques, there were a lot more hand gestures involved than usual! The safety blanket of having a totally bilingual person present was handy to begin with but by the end of the second day Frank and I were laughing and joking with each other no problems as if wed been mates for years.

Once again I have motorbikes to thank for making new friends and having a totally unforgettable experience!

Massive thanks to Eileen for putting the wheels in motion for this whole thing and for traipsing around the tracks taking photos of me.

The more eagle eyed among you will have noticed the occasional shot of me looking like a teletubby with a GoPro on my helmet. Ill be making a video when I get back to the UK as this laptop struggles enough just editing photos let alone doing anything at all with video!

Apologies for the Teflon Mike length post I have some down time and figured I should get back into the swing of essay writing before this uni stuff kicks off again next week!