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Supercross & Motocross
WEIGANDT: Chad Reed’s Stubborn Belief
Chad Reed has taken his share of beatings over the years, but that's never stopped him from getting back up and coming back for more.
TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed (Photo: Honda Red Riders)
Chad Reed started this summer’s Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship on a roll. He captured the final round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship in May, and then won three of the opening four motocross rounds, including five of eight motos. He opened a small points lead, and looked happier, healthier, and more comfortable at the track than he had in years -- perhaps ever.
But the pack has started to catch the 29-year-old Australian. Reed has just one win in the last four motos, and Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey have dealt big beatings in the other three. The kids are picking up the pace, and Reed has shown vulnerability.
But perhaps now, Chad has things right where he wants them.
See, Reed has made a career out of bouncing back in moments such as this. He’s spent a decade fighting at the top of this rough and tumble sport, and anyone who stays this strong for this long clearly has something special inside. Reed’s natural talent and desire help, but his mental toughness -- or stubbornness -- plays the biggest role. Reed has taken plenty of beatings during his time -- the ridiculous speed of his chief competitors, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, guaranteed some tough losses along the way. But after each loss, the same exact Chad Reed would show up at the track the next week. The one who still thinks he’s going to win.
It used to infuriate fans and competitors. Reed would never admit defeat even after he had just clearly been defeated. Chalk it up any way you would like. Perhaps Reed is just so arrogant that he can’t see things any other way. Perhaps he’s the master of the psyche job, convincing himself he can do something he shouldn’t. Or maybe he’s just stubborn. Regardless, Reed is the master of, as Carmichael once famously said, “Taking his butt whippings and then just coming back for more the next weekend.”
But the pack has started to catch the 29-year-old Australian. Reed has just one win in the last four motos, and Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey have dealt big beatings in the other three. The kids are picking up the pace, and Reed has shown vulnerability.
But perhaps now, Chad has things right where he wants them.
See, Reed has made a career out of bouncing back in moments such as this. He’s spent a decade fighting at the top of this rough and tumble sport, and anyone who stays this strong for this long clearly has something special inside. Reed’s natural talent and desire help, but his mental toughness -- or stubbornness -- plays the biggest role. Reed has taken plenty of beatings during his time -- the ridiculous speed of his chief competitors, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, guaranteed some tough losses along the way. But after each loss, the same exact Chad Reed would show up at the track the next week. The one who still thinks he’s going to win.
It used to infuriate fans and competitors. Reed would never admit defeat even after he had just clearly been defeated. Chalk it up any way you would like. Perhaps Reed is just so arrogant that he can’t see things any other way. Perhaps he’s the master of the psyche job, convincing himself he can do something he shouldn’t. Or maybe he’s just stubborn. Regardless, Reed is the master of, as Carmichael once famously said, “Taking his butt whippings and then just coming back for more the next weekend.”
SX Seattle
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