Moto Tips | Don’t Let A Bad Ride Beat You Down

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INSTAGRAM | @tylerbowers

Presented by Answer Racing

Welcome to the new Answer Racing Moto Tips feature! Answer Racing has been producing the highest-quality motocross and off-road gear since 1976, and this month launched its new line of 2020 apparel. With riders like Alex Martin, Ryan Villopoto, Nick Wey, and Mike Sleeter flying the Answer flag, there is a wealth of knowledge and know-how when it comes to riding a dirt bike efficiently and effectively in the Answer camp. Each week, Answer will bring you some riding tips to help you become better at the sport you love! Have a specific skill you’d like to improve? Comment below and we will cover it in a future post!

You’re bound to have a few bad days at the track. It’s inevitable that crashes, simple mistakes, or just random difficulties will strike at some point in time, but it’s important you don’t allow them to lead to more issues further down the road. Tyler Bowers faced that exact situation this past race season. The popular privateer struggled to find his flow at key rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship but knew that he couldn’t let the problems keep him from balancing fatherhood, work, and a new life in Florida. If Bowers felt the weight of the world on his shoulders or was unhappy at the races, we sure couldn’t tell, because he had his usual trademark smile and young daughter, Max, in tow almost everywhere he went. 

“It’s hard. It was a rough year in general for me. I had some okay rides, but I’m a top-10 guy at times, and this year I really didn’t do it,” he said of the issues that he experienced throughout the season. “I have seen the highs and lows of the sport so many times, so I know what it’s like to have a rough season. If I gave up every time things got rough, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I would have been done years ago.

“I’ve had plenty of times when I thought, ‘Well that year kind of sucked.’ And then the next year was much, much better,” he continued. “This is what I do for a job and the motivation is that I’m good at it, that I get to travel, and that my daughter comes with me. I’m so blessed to do this for a living and I realize it.”

Being aware of what’s going right or wrong is important, and Bowers explained that he analyzed multiple areas of his program and technique to find the weaknesses. “Starts have been a key issue and I fixed some things there, so I felt like I was getting off the gate better towards the end. But then I realized that I would get pulled away from by the other guys midway down the straightaway and that’s another thing I had to fix,” he noted. “I’m leaner now and it’s things like that I have to take into account for my riding.”

Bowers went on to say that it’s important to keep an accurate perspective on things, that way you don’t get too beaten down by a string of bad results or negative feedback. “There have been a few years when I’ve been a top-10 guy and people will say, ‘Well, there are a lot of guys that are hurt.’ But to that, you have to say whatever because the best will always rise to the top,” he stated. 

“You know where you rank in the group and about your riding, and you have to keep that in perspective,” said the career racer. “You might have felt a little slower on a certain day, maybe some more people signed up for your class, but that could change at the next race. Who knows, the next ride could be your breakout!”