Jonny Walker: Finally back to strength!
By Jonny Walker on 24th Aug 16
I dont want to tempt fate but I finally feel like Im properly getting over by leg injury and back up to speed.
After what seems like a lifetime of x-rays, being stuck on my sofa and constant two steps forwards, one step backwards, I'm pain free, back on a bike and feeling good.
I'm working hard to be ready to get back to the Red Bull Hard Enduro series. Next up is Red Bull Megawatt in Poland, and if things keep going well I feel like I'll be in pretty good shape for it. Not like I was heading to Romaniacs.
Looking back I wasn't where I needed to be for Romaniacs, but I had to give it a go. One thing I learned is that until you're back in competition you don't really know how ready you are. Now I feel like I'm ready. I've done some motocross, won the Fast Eddy X-Treme Classic and have plenty more time to keep working on things ahead of the event in Poland.
Pulling out of Romaniacs was definitely disappointing. Long story short I suffered what my doctors referred to as a ‘minor fracture'. I was in pain, had another 20 hours of racing ahead of me and, well, that was that.
The best thing about the recent X-Treme Classic I raced recently was that I finished it with no pain.
It was great to get the win, but not hurting as I headed home was what put the biggest smile on my face. I felt like I rode pretty well and managed to get a good pace going and mostly didn't make too many mistakes. It was exactly what I needed to do.
As disappointing as it was to miss Erzberg and to retire at Romaniacs, there's still plenty of racing still to be done this year. Although the world championships are nearing there end, there's still plenty of important extreme races ahead. After Megawatt there's Sea to Sky and GetzenRodeo. And it won't be too long before I have to start thinking about SuperEnduro again.
Before I go to Poland for Megawatt I'm going to race the Rhayader British Enduro Championship event this weekend. It's been a while since I raced a time card style event, but I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be two good days on a bike, and if the weather's not great then it'll be two tough days on a bike. Either way it'll be just what I need before things get busier on the extreme enduro front.
