I was reading a book about off-road riding techniques. The main reason for this is as a review exercise - comparing what it tells me with how I have been riding - to make sure that I am still focusing on doing the right things right.

I see that Jack Youngblood, a former defensive line player with the Los-Angeles Rams (an American Football team) is mentioned in there several times.

Jack played in the defensive line, which basically meant that it was his job to stop opposing players getting through to the quarterback. He was entered in the NFL Hall of Fame in 2001, and has gained respect from team-mates and opponents alike. Some opponents have described running into him as being like running straight into a concrete wall.

Jack himself is more modest - "I wasn’t the biggest guy, I certainly wasn’t the strongest and I wasn’t the fastest either. But I think one of my biggest assets was that I had an undeniable determination to be the best that has ever put his hand on the ground, I had a genuine desire to be to be great".

It's all about what's inside the helmet. What goes on between the ears. This is the important thing. If you want the Dakar finisher medal as much as you want air (blogs passim) then you'll get it. Nothing is over until you give up. Ever.

As I reflected on today's events with The Missus, we realised how far I have come - both in terms of my riding skills and in terms of my disposition generally. There was a time, not so long ago, when I'd have dealt with anybody alighting a vehicle with a pick-axe handle using logic along the lines of "I better knock this guy out before he even thinks about using that on me". I would have hit first, and made it count - guys my size can't afford to do it any other way. Today, it didn't matter very much. I am focused on Dakar, not on silly pissing contests with heavy-handed farmers.

The Missus pointed out to me that getting whacked by a pick-axe handle, or getting shot by an angry farmer, would probably put my Dakar plans back a little.

Interestingly enough, the book where I saw Jack Youngblood quoted - Off-Road Riding Techniques - also states that angry landowners are a hazard, just like ruts and roots.

Jack was quoted in there as saying "You learn that, whatever you are doing in life, obstacles don't matter very much. Pain or other circumstances can be there, but if you want to do a job bad enough, you'll find a way to get it done".

How true.

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