The 2025 National Series is done and dusted. It’s not time to look back on the full year just yet though. First and foremost, we have to dig into the EPICNESS that was the Gobbler Getter National Enduro. The weather was perfect, the dirt was prime, and the trails were technical and challenging. Damn it, dirt bikes are awesome.
Two Performance Mindsets for Different Personalities
Before loading up the motovan to head east toward Alabama, I made a post on Instagram talking about an intensity issue I wanted to work on at the Gobbler Getter Enduro. I have been getting faster as a rider, but due to that increase in speed, I have found myself over-riding to a point that I would end up on the ground. I noticed this weakness, and I stated it out loud to keep myself accountable, and let others be aware. I got two great reactions to this reel; one was Focused Intensity and the other was Controlled Aggression.
These two performance mindset phrases resonated a lot with me, one more so than the other. Focused Intensity is about fine tuning toward the action you want, as if you were rotating the focus ring of a camera lens till the object pops into focus. While Controlled Aggression is about adding limitations to a behavior, as if you were to put a leash on a raging pit bull.
When it comes to finding a flow state, or firing on all cylinders, I believe one has to let it happen, you can’t make it happen. That’s why I resonate more with the concept of Focused Intensity. I’m not going to ignore the fact that many other people would resonate with the concept of Controlled Aggression. You have to take these concepts and attempt to implement them for yourself and see what does, or doesn’t, work for you.
This state of Focused Intensity worked great for me throughout the majority of the day. It kept me at that 95% limit, enough that I could increase my attack a tad if needed, but the goal was to flow with the terrain as much as possible.
I even had a sick moment following Brayden Baisley in Test 2. He was passing me from row 24, and I decided to try and latch on to his pace. The next 30 seconds were a blur, a true flow state of just doing, not reacting. I made a small mistake, noticed how high my heart rate had gotten, and decided to back it back down to 95%. Watching that footage back is sick because I remember how effortless it felt in the moment.
GasGas Bike Setup Felt PERFECT
If you’ve followed other race recaps from this year of enduro racing, you’ll know I have been struggling with getting the EX350 setup properly. The GasGas frame is very stiff, and the suspension doesn’t work well stock for slower, more technical terrain. It wasn’t until after the Rattlesnake Enduro that I got my suspension done by Brady Meador. Another upgrade I made was switching more consistently to the Dunlop AT-82.
It was at Muddobbers when we figured out the AT-82 rear is a taller tire, requiring an adjustment to the bike’s preload for proper rider sag. Knowing this, I verified my sag at Gobbler Getter, thanks Nick and TJ, and the bike felt AMAZING.
I also went up to the 51T DDC Rear Sprocket due to the hills around the Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club property. Even though I had to shift between 2 & 3 a bit more during the flatter sections, it helped a lot in the really tight stuff, and the hills. I could shift down into second gear, ride the technical bits, and then shift up into third as it started to open. When the trails were flowing, the bike stayed in third gear and we just rode the good times.
Pulling the Mental Tear-Off
In Test 5, a simple mistake slammed me face first into the tight pine trees. I had just seen Broc Hepler on the side of the trail and gave him a hoot. This might have pulled my attention away just enough from Focused Intensity that I missed something in the trail. I thought it would be a quick recovery, but the bike was oddly caught, forcing me to reposition to get more legs into lifting the bike. A quick assessment of the bars made me feel lucky that my forks weren’t tweaked in the triple clamps. I knew I needed to forget what just happened and start moving forward again. Steve Hatch refers to this as “pulling the mental tear-off”.
If we dwell on something that is now past our control, we’re allowing it to take up brain power on trying to move forward. By pulling the mental tear-off, we use a physical reference of clearing our goggles to have a mental reference of clearing our mind. In the moment of the race, racers have to leave mistakes where they happen. If not, we’ll override due to a feeling of needing to make up for the mistake, essentially causing more mishaps.
Gobbler Getter – Test 5 Full POV
53 Miles of Technical Trails Left Me Fading at the End
The PMMC organized an amazing enduro to finish out the year. The way they worked us from the tight twisty to the off-camber was keeping a smile on all the racers faces. The weather was cool, and the moisture in the ground allowed for premium traction. If you didn’t enjoy the course laid out for us on the day, you’re better off getting a UTV.
As the day wore on, I felt like I was doing a great job staying up on my hydration, nutrition, and electrolytes. I normally have one UCAN Energy Gel an hour, while also sipping on UCAN Energy Power and LMNT from my hydration pack. I noticed in Ohio and Pennsylvania that I was feeling fatigued by the end of the day. I added some different off-the-bike training, but I also started adding SiS Beta Gels into the mix on race day.
The UCAN gels have 20 grams of carbohydrates from their LIVSTEADY Non-GMO Corn Starch. This gives me between 30-40 grams an hour due to what I consume from my hydration bladder with the mixed in energy powder. The SiS Beta Fuel Gel has 40 grams of carbohydrates in a maltodextrin-to-fructose combination. All that crazy sciency stuff to say I used two different gels to try and get more carbs in, without needing to just eat sugar.
It was all working great, until it wasn’t. I was chewing on a caffeine gum at the start of test six, chatting away as I do so well. I didn’t feel more fatigued than normal before going into the last test of the day. I do believe though, that the accumulation of the day started to take its toll on me as we were challenged in the A Only test.
The trail was a tad tighter, the off-camber was more challenging, and the flow tapered off a bit more. We were presented with hill climbs that weren’t necessarily difficult, we just had a tad less momentum to attack them with. I didn’t think I was riding any “slower” than I had been on the rest of the day, but looking at the times, we know that wasn’t the case.
Watching back the footage, I can see, and hear, how I was attacking less on the trail. Minor mistakes were popping up, stealing valuable momentum in places where you needed to flow. After Jhak and Brayden pass me is where my body language changes. As I was approaching the eighth mile of the ten mile test, Hans Neff caught, and dropped, me. I challenged myself to stay with him, and I did so for about a minute, but he confidently rode away from me. It’s a poetic moment to watch, because it’s him putting an exclamation point on his 45A National Enduro Championship!
Transferring Racing Lessons into Daily Life
As I said in an Instagram post after the event. I’m satisfied and proud with how I rode at the Gobbler Getter Enduro. Every lesson from the year was applied. I also know there’s room for improvement. I may not follow the Nationals next year, but I know damn well I’m going to be working on my weaknesses.
When I decided at the end of 2024 that I wanted to race the National Enduros in 2025, I didn’t say to myself I wanted to try to win the 45A class. I said I wanted to do this because I felt capable at this moment in time. I didn’t want to wait until I was retired, or till I felt fast enough, to try and enjoy the National Enduros. I wanted to do this for me so I could enjoy an experience I had yet to enjoy. And man oh man, did I enjoy this experience.
I hope others decide to try something they’ve been holding themselves back from trying. I know I’m glad I took on the challenge of racing the full National Enduro Series. I’m a better rider, racer, father, and husband now that I’ve spent an entire year bettering myself toward a goal. Go find your goal, fail at attempting it, work on becoming better, and grow into the type of person who accomplishes that goal.
See ya on the trail.
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