The DK Report

By Dk26
Dylan Kaelin

Have you ever had moments where you would just love to bury your head in the sand?  Then just hangout like that until everything in life is back to rainbows and lollipops? I am sure you have. It seems like it’s a common thing this day and age. Lately it seems like I have had this black cloud just following me again. More than likely it’s the same one that followed me around most of last season.

Now for some more catching up on what I have been up to…

Once I finished up my last shift at work, I headed down to Calgary for a couple days. Immediately after I left the site I felt an excitement come over me. Finally the season was upon me and soon I would be riding and training daily. It seemed as though I didn’t miss a second of the real world. The Allison brothers were nice enough to let me crash out at their house in Calgary for the couple of days when I was in the area. Thanks to the brothers for letting me stay with them again. This year I really wanted to make sure that I would be ready for the season. I did not leave open a big window of preparation this season due to working in the off-season. Training is a huge part of racing; at least 50% of training is done off the bike. I decided to start working with Drew Robertson of Evolved Nutrition for the 2013 season. I have never had a personal trainer in my life! It’s a new program that took some time to get used to. Drew is great and has a great understanding of how motocrossers work. He offers up the knowledge we need to succeed. Drew has already helped me a lot thus far. One of the best parts is that Drew sends me over a monthly schedule to work with my plans. It’s all set up for what I need, and one less thing I have to worry about!

On my way back from Calgary, I was just cruising along. No big rush, lots of time to catch my flight out of Edmonton. I decided to stop along Gasoline Alley in Red Deer. Long story short, a peace officer was standing behind a telephone poll with a radar gun like he’s a sharp shooter on a mountain side planning an attack on rebel troops in Africa, nails me doing 20 over. I obviously had not noticed the 50km sign. But with all due respect, you volunteer your time to piss people off. You sir, suck! Rant over.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, some more hiccups of course. Now my daily life consists of motos, traffic and resting. My mind wants to go go go and make up for the so called lost time that I spent working instead of training. Drew has been keeping me in line and reminding me to get my rest; it has started to pay off. The new bike doesn’t look so new anymore. I’ve got some hours logged onto it and now have a really good feel for the bike. I love the handling of the 250F, as well as the power. The bike is 100% stock with the exception of my SSS suspension. Joe Skidd has definitely put time into the KTM set up; can you ever tell! It’s amazing how predictable Joe makes the suspension. Imagine looking down a gnarly whooped out straight away and knowing exactly what’s going to happen before you even get there. Needless to say it has made me feel extremely comfortable on the SXF250.

As much as I love riding, there are times when the work gets put in off the bike. Most of the roads down here all have a wide bike path, which is always a bonus. My new Marin Stelvio has been awesome to train on. It makes the rides so much more enjoyable having a comfortable, light bike that fits me! After spending a year riding my mom’s road bike, it’s really made me love the Marin. I picked up a set of carbon wheels off craigslist for a steal while I was in Vancouver. Definitely an over kill for my needs, but hey…why not? The matte black look with the carbon wheels is amazing to say the least.

One of the biggest changes this year has to be living in a house. Kendra Knowles has been kind enough to let me call it home for a month while I am down here training. Spencer has been putting in the hours as well. The rest part of training really makes  a difference. Being able to kick my feet up on a couch and watch TV is a joy I haven’t had before while training on the east coast. The past winters I have lived out of a trailer,motorhome or my van. I’ll take sleeping in a house and a real shower any day of the week, over a shower at a motocross track followed by a night’s sleep on a futon in my van. As much as it has helped, I seemed to have caught a cold while I have been down here. Ever since I lacerated my spleen in 2010, getting sick comes all too easy.

It’s been a full calendar week now with no riding. A few days in I went to the ER for a check up. The Doc said I have a case of bronchitis as well as an inner ear infection. It has definitely put a stop to my training program until I start to feel better. Does it ever end???

Anyways…on to how amazing Southern California really is. There are stores the size of Wal-Mart with every part imaginable all over the place. There has to be at least 10-15 tracks within 1 1/2 hours of each other. Most tracks all have 3+ tracks in one facility. The best part of all is the talent. When you roll out onto the track and start laying down some laps, then some serious laps, Braaapppppp…there goes some guy with no numbers,blown out gear and a old ratted out 450. Then the next guy who goes by is Dean Wilson on a Pro Circuit 450 burning race gas that is enough to knock you out in one whiff. But luckily for me he’s usually gone before I even get a chance to burn my nostrils.

That’s all I have for now! If you happen to care enough to hear my thoughts on a certain topic, feel free to email me at dylankaelin@gmail.com or get a hold of me on Facebook or twitter.

Team Kal-Gard FXR Apex KTM would like to thank its sponsors for their continued support – KTM Canada, Apex Cycle, Kal-Gard, FXR, Dunlop, DT1, Marin Bikes, Evolved Nutrition, Mika Metals, VP Fuels, Oakley, Forma, Atlas, Matrix Concepts, Superior Suspension Settings, Hindle, Rekluse, Wiseco, Kutvek Amerika, Ortho- Flex, My PKG, RKI Industries, Cycra, Pro Wheel