Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
As you all know by now our two-time 250MX Champion Jess Pettis is not only down south preparing for the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross Series, but he’s training at the famous Baker’s Factory located just outside Clermont, FL. Pettis is into his fourth week of work at the Baker’s Factory and so far everything is going smooth. To get his thoughts on how the opening weeks at the Baker’s Factory have gone, as well as what it’s like to have Dean Wilson training with him now, we caught up with Jess as he was having his breakfast and getting ready for another day of riding.
MXP: Hey Jess, it’s still early in Florida, what are you up to?
JP: Hey Palms, right now I’m just sitting down to eat breakfast, and then it’s time to head out to the track.
When I text you earlier you mentioned that you were warming up. Do you usually warm-up before eating breakfast?
Yes, that is part of the program here. We do a low-intensity warm-up for 30 minutes before we eat. That has been an adjustment for me for sure, I love breakfast and I hate doing anything on an empty stomach. However, now that I’ve been doing it for a few weeks my body is used to it.
You made an appearance in Dean Wilson’s latest Vlog. That SX track that you guys were riding looked tight and busy. It reminded me of a track in say Indianapolis or something?
Yes, that one is definitely like an East Coast track, with the layout and softer dirt. There are three different SX tracks at the Baker’s Factory and each one is set-up completely different. There’s a full East Coast, a harder packed West Coast track, and then one that’s in between. Of course, all three are busy and technical, but it’s great that we have some variety.
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to travel to the Baker’s Factory for a Husqvarna Media Launch and we got a tour of the facility from Aldon Baker himself. I know you and I spoke about this last week, but the thing that grabbed my attention was that everything thing that goes on there is structured in some way. Now that you’ve been there for almost a month, would you agree?
You nailed it, that’s exactly what it’s like here. I think one of the biggest positives here is the structure of everything. I have always been a fairly structured person who doesn’t need to be told to wake up and train. However, to have the guidance of a program like this one where your entire day and week is laid out for you is great. And it’s not always about how much to work and train but also knowing when to rest and recover. Aldon and his crew have down to a science and that is why they’ve been so successful over the years.
I have a couple of retired NHL players who live near me and we actually do some riding together now. Anyway, listening to them speak about their playing days and what it was like. On most days all they had to do was get themselves to the rink. From there, everything was structured and laid out for them. Even in the off-season their team would send them a daily training and eating routine. I feel like this is what Aldon has brought to our sport and it’s taken things to a new level.
For sure, as I said his success speaks for itself and I think he was one of the first to do things this way. Now there are a lot of trainers and programs that can help guide a rider through a season. It’s not rocket science or crazy stuff, it’s just structure and the confidence you get from knowing that you’re doing everything possible.
Okay, so what does Tuesday, December 8th look like for you. You mentioned that you’ve warmed up and now you’re eating breakfast. What are you doing for the rest of the day?
After breakfast, I’m going to pack up and head out to the track. We got rained out yesterday so most of our workouts were in the gym. The weather is better today so we’ll be back on the bike and doing a lot of riding. With today being a heavy riding day we’ll just be doing a little cooldown and stretching after and then that will be it. It was pretty cool here last week for a few days so everyone was trying to stay warm. It’s beginning to warm back up so we should be good this week!
Sounds like a good solid day of riding ahead. How is it having Dean [Wilson] training with you now?
It’s been great! He just got here but already he’s been a huge help to me. He has a ton of experience and a wealth of knowledge about training and preparation, so he’s been helping me with certain things. Also, he’s a pretty funny guy so he keeps things light and keeps us entertained. I was over at his house for dinner last night so it’s nice to have him here.
Well Jess, thanks for doing this again. Have a fun and safe week of riding and training and we’ll chat next week.
Sounds good! Thanks for reaching out. I hope everyone in Canada is doing well.
