The Privateer: The comeback!
Elton Van Craenenbroeck aka 'The Privateer' worried all winter about whether or not to quit motocross, until it was time to apply for a license... 'The Privateer' explains some of this in his column below.
Hey everyone,
It's been a while since my last column. We are currently in a very cold period in which there is little training available, both with bicycle and motorcycle. So it's time to take a seat behind the computer to update you on the past few months. It has been a winter with many doubts. Doubts about whether or not to continue driving. I am someone who can quite impulsively come to a statement such as “I'm quitting”. Yet that idea has occurred to me more often in recent months. As some of you may already know, I have been bitten by the Cyclocross bug in recent years. And so in recent months my thoughts have been more on the bike than on my motorcycle.
I have already completed several hours of cycling training with my training buddy (Kevin) Woutske. But as expected, saying to stop is easier than actually doing it. I still enjoy riding motocross and so I have decided to add another year. In the meantime, I have already received my BMB permit as a National MX1 in the mailbox. Despite the doubts of the past few months, I haven't really been sitting still. At the end of last year, I went to sunny Spain together with Jonas Van Der Kelen and Wietse Brackman to get used to the 'new' motorcycle and do some training without a bike. Yes, new bike, because I opted for the new Kawasaki KX450F this year. This switch mainly came about on the advice of my brother-in-law Kevin Wouts and the help of the Pfeil Kawasaki team from Germany. My thanks to Kevin and Harald, the boss of the Pfeil team. The switch was a bit awkward at first, but now I feel completely good on the green motorcycle. Another news is that I will start in 2012 in Thor clothing and helmets thanks to Deac's Racing. Split designer Victor Picoto provided matching 'Privateer' butt patches. For 2012 I can also count on the support of Mxplanet's Tony Hermans. Striking because Tony is actually a Suzuki dealer!
Partly due to the Cyclocross and many cycling training, things are also going in a good direction physically. Something that was a weaker point of mine in other years. Although honesty requires me to say that I was beaten by my mechanic Gert Kaesemans during the cyclocross competition in Vollezele. Just like me, Gert also competes in local cyclocross competitions every weekend. Yet I attribute my defeat as a result of illness. So Gert, that's how you know 😉 haha! So the plan is to enter my last year as a competitive motocross rider in 2012. Then I have been competing for exactly 20 years and in August I will ALREADY be 30, nice numbers to retire with, right?
Ok, yes, ask me again at the end of this year…. We'll see, right? But especially the serious back injury from 2006 continues to haunt me and makes me think a little more as I get older... I would also like to retire full time as a Cyclocrosser in the Masters A Category from October this year. And combining both is difficult to achieve. I definitely want to make the best of it in 2012, and although I don't really have a goal, I still secretly hope for a permanent top-10 place at Nationals MX1. Unlike last year, I plan to participate in all BMB competitions, in stark contrast to 2011 when I only started in seven competitions. Although I will probably fit in for this Sunday's season opener in Lommel. 'The Privateer' and sand, it will never be an ideal combination...
Now we just have to wait until the weather thaws so we can resume motorcycle training. Although the indoor circuit in Genk was a good substitute for the motorcycle feeling last weekend, there are still a few Cyclocross competitions on the program. And maybe I'll head to Spain in mid-February for some extra motorcycle training, but that remains to be seen. Also looking forward to seeing who will win in the AMA Supercross next weekend. As in previous years, I follow the SX closely and as you know, there are already 4 different winners. I'm actually hoping for a great evening from 'crowd favorite' Kevin Windham. I keep complaining about my 30 years and that guy is already 34… So actually I can go along for a while if you go by K Dub. But I do think Villopoto will come out on top as the season progresses. In any case, he seems to me to be the fastest. In the Lites we have to wait and see what Ken Roczen will do after his injury, against 'wild child' Barcia
With this I conclude my 'Comeback Column', hopefully I will write the next one in warmer temperatures.
Cheers and see you next time!
#52 The Privateer
Photos: Makke Pics/Elton Van Craenenbroeck Archive
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