How motocrosser Eli Tomac trains to keep injuries at bay

In the world of Supercross, injuries are a matter of when, not if. Concussions, bruises, torn ACLs, fractures and sprains are all a part of what every racer signs up for. For Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing's Eli Tomac, he was born into a two-wheeled family. His father John Tomac was the 1991 mountain bike world champion and a US Bicycling Hall of Fame. John also rode motocross for fun and while Eli Tomac was always excited to watch his father race motorcycles, he immediately fell in love with motocross. When he received his first bike one Christmas morning, his fate was sealed.

John has coached his son his entire life. It's a relationship the current series points leader and 2020 champion has never taken for granted.

“It's just good guidance to have a good coach and someone to point you in the right direction and put you on the right path,” Tomac said. "We focused on driving technique early on. That's what gives you a good foundation to take you to that professional level. He was also my fitness trainer. He does my physical training program and tells me only what he knows, what I need to hear.”

Regardless of leadership, collisions and spills are difficult to avoid, and Eli Tomac has his share. The most serious occurred during his rookie season and the following year. He broke his collarbone in training. The next season, he injured both shoulders in a bad crash at Thunder Valley National in Denver. He suffered completely Rotator cuff tear in the left shoulder and a dislocation of the right.

While no athlete enjoys revisiting an injury that keeps them from their sport, it is clear that the love of the sport and competition drives these athletes to continue to get on their bikes.

“Injuries are part of our sport,” Tomac said. “I feel like motocross Athletes are pretty good at healing us quickly because we are athletes. If you're in better shape and get hurt...you'll often heal faster than someone who's not in good shape and gets hurt.

"I think it just comes down to the love of the sport and it's just your passion for what you do. You don't think about [the injuries] and I always feel like I'm a rider that has everything under control. Some guys just get hurt more than others and some guys don't get hurt as often. You try to stay in control as much as you can, but what keeps us out there is the love and passion for the sport. When something is really fun, that's what drives you, but it's just the thing that keeps you going." even the things that can bite you But there are more good times than bad.”