There are men, and women, for whom it is worth the risk.
Robbie Maddison's Tower Bridge jump didn't have the wow factor of his step-up in Las Vegas, where he broke a couple of hard-to-achieve world records. If he would have missed either one of those jumps in Las Vegas, the consequences would have people asking just what you're asking now. Is it worth it?
These world records are the masterpieces that define who these jumping masters are. They are not content to take the easy road, staying within their comfort zone, taking the easy paycheck, specializing in the average and the ordinary. These men have high standards, and they hold themselves to a higher standard than ordinary men. They are not willing to let fear make their decisions for them.
Riders like Bird, Maddo and Capes are truly special. They do what no ordinary man can do or will try. That is why we admire them so much. Their actions have elevated them above all others who have ever dared to jump a motorcycle for distance.
Each rider can push the envelope with his own personal signature. One rider might specialize in certain areas, another's strengths might be in other areas. Some riders will push their own personal envelope to develop certain categories and take them to new heights, putting their own stamp on the jumping world. It is their job to do risk assessment, to prepare for the dangers thoroughly, to develop the entire system with which to accomplish their dream. If there is anything wrong with their system, it might come out at the worst possible time. If so, the results might be disastrous. If they make it through that, they have a decision to make: get back to the drawing board, back up and re-group, quit the profession altogether, change directions or just grit their teeth, heal up and think it over for a while.
It does break my heart to see anybody suffer like that. Sometimes I think certain jumpers should just quit. Some guys can't keep it on two wheels, some guys make foolish decisions and keep getting major injuries, and some guys are just not cut out for jumping. Sometimes it's all three wrapped into one. Bird is not one of those guys. He was made for distance jumping. He's got the right stuff.
I don't ever want him to get hurt again. If he quits jumping, I will understand and not judge him in a negative way. He came in and made a major dent in distance jumping, and he can be proud of himself. He has nothing more to prove. If he decides to come back and break a world record, that's his decision and I can't judge him in a negative way. If he decides to do easy jumps from now on, he's proven that he's a serious jumper already. He's got my respect. After the injuries he just sustained, I'm just glad he's alive.
He's the only man in the world who can decide whether he will jump again, and how far he will push it if he does jump again. No one else can tell him what to do, and that's how it should be. Those are his dreams. He dreamed big and he went big. Nobody can take his dreams away. When he decides it's over, then it's over.
JA
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