Except for three months of his pro career, 20-year-old Jimmy Elzinga has been riding hurt.
This weekend’s AMA Motocross Nationals at Thunder Valley in Lakewood will mark the first time since early 2005 the Morrison native could consider himself healthy.
This is the race’s second year at Thunder Valley and will feature many top riders, including defending champion Ricky Carmichael, the winner of five straight events who is racing in what may be his last race in Denver. Carmichael, 26, has said he will be racing a shortened schedule in 2007.
Following Carmichael in the standings are Chad Reed (44 points back) and Kevin Windham (97 back), and both are expected to compete this weekend in the seventh race on a 12-event schedule.
In April 2005, Elzinga dislocated his shoulder at a national event in Spokane, Wash., but continued to ride despite tearing his labrum and a couple of tendons in his rotator cuff.
“It didn’t really affect me on the bike at all,” Elzinga said. “I just always had the feeling that it was going to pop out again.”
Elzinga continued to race, and in April he again dislocated the shoulder, forcing him out of racing and onto the operating table.
“I had to have surgery on it the second time, so I knew I would have to be off the bike for a while,” Elzinga said. “It’s all fixed now.”
Three months in rehab gave Elzinga time to regroup and refresh his mind and body, so he could come back stronger.
Those three months were the longest he has not been on a bike since he started riding 5 1/2 years ago. Elzinga said although he is only about 85 percent healed, he feels that is enough to race on his home track.
“I’m looking forward to racing this weekend. I have been back out on my bike for four or five days now,” Elzinga said. “I wouldn’t be out racing if I didn’t feel good on the bike. I feel just as good as I felt before the injury.”
The Thunder Valley course is the newest of the 12 courses in the AMA tour and is the first to implement Jumbo-Tron monitors, something Tony Gardea, media relation’s manager for the tour, said will add a new dimension to the race.
“There are 40 riders on the track at the same time and after a couple of laps, it’s hard to tell who is in first and who is in 10th,” Gardea said. “It brings more of a motorsports feel to the track. Other tracks will follow suit.”
Brandon Meachum can be reached at 303-820-1720 or bmeachum@denverpost.com.
