Chad Reed: More Than Just A Win

Chad has come into 2014 with a focus we haven’t seen in awhile.

When Chad Reed came from behind to win his 42nd Supercross main event on Saturday night in Anaheim California, to all the viewers it appeared to be a lot more than just another victory. While winning a Supercross main event is always a special thing for any of the top riders, for the 31 year old Australian, this one had to be the sweetest of his long and storied career.

Everyone knows Reed’s well documented racing career, we know that he started riding at a very young age back in Australia. We know how he got accustomed to travelling thru the Pan Pacific region to races as a kid, and we also know how he and his wife left the comforts of their home at the ripe age of 18 in search of glory on the world stage. Their first stop was Europe and the Grand Prix circuit where they spent just one short season. Their next stop in 2002 was America and the battle ground that every rider dreams about as a kid, the stadiums of the Monster Energy Supercross Series. While we know all the stops along the way, what we don’t know is just what drives Reed to fall down or get kicked down, only to get up, regroup and head straight back into battle.

When the gate dropped on Chad’s USA Supercross career he was an instant success and began challenging for wins right away. His smooth style and his picture perfect Supercross technique was something every rider aspired to imitate. In those early years while Chad never seemed to be in the wrong position on his Yamaha, his main rival Ricky Carmichael did not care which way his bike was pointed as long as he crossed the finish line first. Who can forget RC bouncing off the tough blocks on his way to numerous victories, while Reed methodically rode in second place patiently waiting for a mistake that rarely came. When the mistakes did come, Reed was right there to capitalize on them and that is why over the past eleven seasons he has racked up an incredible 42 wins.

Right from the first lap on Saturday Chad’s speed was right where it needed to be.

To the educated fans and fellow racers watching, these wins were well earned as they knew how hard it was to win any Supercross race. To the critics, these wins just came because the other riders made mistakes and handed victory to Reed. Even after winning two Supercross championships, Reed has always been the underdog, he’s always been mentioned in talk of potential title winners behind the Carmichael’s, the Stewart’s and the Villopoto’s. Perhaps it’s this talk that has kept Reed motivated all these years, through the injuries, the bike changes and health problems, Reed has had the resilience to rise from the ashes and not only comeback, but comeback stronger and better.

During the main event on Saturday we not only got to witness Chad Reed riding to victory, we got to see a world class athlete reaching the absolute pinnacle of human performance. As it appeared to everyone, Reed seemed to get a surge of confidence at the halfway point of the race. With the lead in sight he raised the level of his riding to not only match the leaders, but to a point where all riders like Ken Roczen, Ryan Villopoto and eventually Stewart could do was watch Reed ride by. His corner speed all came together and he had that one sneaky line on the left side of the whoops that no one else noticed until it was too late. In the final six laps, Reed out smarted his much younger competitors and put his stamp on more than likely what will be his most cherished victory.

Chad Reed’s win at Anaheim 2 was well deserved and very popular with the fans.

With his emotionally charged victory on Saturday night now cemented in history books, the only questioned is now what? Can Reed be a championship contender for the next four months? Can his 31 year body handle the physical and mental strain of a championship point’s battle every weekend until the final round in Las Vegas? While his experience must count for something, normal thinking would lead us to believe that the younger Villopoto or the even younger Roczen will outlast the aging Australian. However, after this past weekend who in their right mind would bet against anything Reed says he wants to do. Over the years he has proven that he is capable of doing anything he puts his mind to, so of course he has a chance at this 2014 Monster Energy Supercross Series. Whatever happens moving forward, his victory on Saturday night was more than just a win. It was a chance for the world to see what can come of hard work and the conviction that anything is possible if you just trust and believe in yourself. It will sure be great theatre moving forward in the series as this could be the greatest season of all time!

It seemed only fitting on Saturday night that it had been exactly 22 times since Chad stood on top of the podium.