My Connection to the Sport of Motocross

There and Back again

I read the headlines of Racer X and I was delighted to read that Max Anstie won the Philadelphia Supercross this weekend.

For those who might not know, I’ve been involved in motocross for most of my life, it’s the sport I grew up with. As a teenager, I aspired to be a professional motocross racer in California, competing against the likes of Jeremey McGrath, Steve Lamson, Ryan Hughes, Jeff Emig, Jimmy Button, Butch Smith, and James Dobbs, to name a few. I was close to obtaining factory support, but in those days, you either were sponsored by the factories (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Suzuki), or you were a competitive privateer with some outside help, there wasn’t an in between. After qualifying third in the intermediate or B class at the World Mini MX championship, I subsequently broke my tibia plateau, which required reconstruction. My racing days weren’t entirely over, but in that period, my mom forced me to go to Junior College, where I learned to study. After returning from the injury, I competed in professional races and almost broke my knee again, rupturing my ACL. I still didn’t have the factory support to compete, so I opted for school, which was inevitably the better decision.

Motocross During Medical School?

During and after medical school, I stayed connected with the motocross industry. I even raced professionally again (for fun) and even won my first professional race on a RM 125 in 1996 (to the chagrin of my medical school dean). I also raced the Winston Salem AMA Arenacross (again, for fun), and the Texas Pro Challenge; and oddly, in 2000, I competed in elite supercross and motocross races in France.

The KTM Connection

In 2004, Scot Harden, a famous Baja 1000 Off-road and Dakar rally racer, asked me to be the doctor for the Red Bull KTM Dakar Rally team. I wrote about my Dakar Rally experiences in my book called Chasing Dakar, which is available on my website. Steve Lamson even asked me to help the young Star Racing Yamaha team. As my relationship with KTM grew, KTM manager Kurt Nichol and Larry Brooks asked me to help with the up-and-coming KTM riders. This group consisted of riders like Blake and Tyler Wharton, Max Anstie, Derek Rogers, Jason Anderson, Tommy Weeck, and many others. I also helped AMA champion Zach Osborne during this challenging time in his career – I’ll share more about that in another story.

Motocross is a Hard Sport

For those unaware, the sport of motocross is among the hardest in the world. Imagine riding a bucking bronco for 45 minutes with a max-out heart rate, constantly using your arms, torso, and legs to control the bike, and because the mind is so focused on the track, obstacles, and other riders, you can push your body to supramaximal efforts. Once the mind catches up with the body, you instantly realize how much work was done from the resulting muscle soreness and breathing rate after a motocross race. It’s intense.

The Famous Bike Ride

At the KTM facility in Temecula, I worked with the team to perform VO2 max testing, workouts with Rick Johnson (a legend in the sport), and we went on bike rides to build endurance. I even took them to the Bodies Exhibit to teach them about anatomy and injuries, which are quite common in motocross. One of those memories was in 2007 from the KTM camps that involved a 50-mile bicycle ride to test the rider’s endurance. A large group of us left the Temecula compound. Before the ride, team manager Kurt Nichol explained to the riders that he wanted a solid effort and to give it their best. Kurt said, “If you don’ beat the doctor you lose your contract!” in his English mannerisms, and you never knew if he was kidding or not. The kids took it seriously, while I knew what Kurt was doing. At the time, I was a Cat 1 level bicycle racer, which means I had earned the right to compete in professional races. For example, I once competed against Floyd Landis (who won the Tour de France) in a Cat 1 race in California. The point is that my fitness level on a bicycle was far greater than any of the kids. But none of the kids knew this. The only thing they saw was that I was a doctor who was twice their age, and I should be easy to beat.

The plan was to ride easily for the first 20 miles, and then, once we got to the rolling hills, we would increase the pace and race back to the KTM compound. I sat back and let the kids spin their legs. My goal was to evaluate each rider’s fitness level on the bicycle. Bicycle training is important in motocross because it provides good endurance training without stressing the knees. Major bicycle manufacturers like Specialized sponsor many top motocross riders. So, we arrived at the halfway point, and I let a break of the strongest kids go up the road for about 5 minutes.

The Front Group and the Grupetto

I stayed with the slower group for a bit, and when I saw they were cooked, I time-trialed up to the lead group. Once I reconnected with them, the look of surprise was unmistakable. Those riders were Max Anstie, Jason Anderson, Blake Wharton, and Derek Rogers. Max was clearly the strongest of this group. Then came the last 20 miles. It was a rolling flat course back to the factory. I went to the front and slowly increased the pace, creating an echelon where I was the rider in the front, breaking the wind, and the others could ride on my wheel with less effort. No one was coming around me, and I could feel the nervous tension as some of them tried in vain to hold onto the pace. It was evident that they took Kurt Nichol’s words to heart. Each rider popped off one by one as their legs turned to Jello and their respiratory rates rose to the moon. By the last 10 miles, only one rider remained: young Max Anstie. I was impressed with how well he rode.

Only One Remained

I remember thinking, this kid from England has something. Again, I slowly ramped up the pace, and he popped off as well. I rode back into the KTM compound and met Kurt Nichol, who was laughing hysterically when he saw that I dropped all of the kids. When the group returned, he exclaimed, “You all have lost your rides!” Laughing as he said it. The secret was out after that ride that the doc could ride a bicycle. These kids didn’t like getting beat, especially by someone twice their age. I continued to work with many of these riders throughout their careers.

Max Anstie Wins in Philly

Max Anstie and Doc Edwards Daytona SX 2024

So, I return to the beginning of this story. I read the headlines in Racer X, and I saw that an English rider named Max Anstie won the Philadelphia Supercross. I was thrilled to read this as Max was once a factory rider, but now he’s on a privateer team racing the Supercross and motocross circuit. I ran into Max unexpectedly at the 2024 Daytona Supercross. We hadn’t seen each other in years, but immediately recognized one another, and we laughed about old memories, especially that bike ride. Max comes from a good family, as his father was a motocross champion in England and Europe. Motocross racing is a long and brutal road, with very few getting to the sport’s top. Chapeau Max!