2020 GNCC / FULL GAS SPRINT ENDURO CHAMPION KAILUB RUSSELL
P96
Interview
The fear of losing is greater than
the joy of winning. That's why I
want to go out on top. There's
nothing left to prove. What're two
more championships? What's
one more championship going
to mean? But if I lose, what's that
going to mean?"
Russell realizes it's going to
be a few years before he can
just race for fun.
"Right now, I know what I'm
capable of and what I'm still go-
ing to be capable of and what
I was able to do, and I'm not
going to be able to do that," says
Russell. "So, I'm not going to
get the same gratification out of
it. So, it's not going to have the
same meaning for me. If I can't
get that same gratification from
riding a motorcycle, I'm probably
just not going to do it."
Russell has talked in the
past about training other riders
and bought property in 2018
in Florida that he is develop-
ing. Russell has always said he
enjoys training.
"The training part has never
bothered me," said Russell.
"Nowadays, it's the riding part
and the structure of the riding
and the intensity you got to ride
with to practice and then take it to
the races. Like I said, I've been a
big creator of this progression of
the sport of how people practice
and get ready for these events.
It's just dangerous. It's scary.
That's what I'm realizing. When
I wake up, don't get me wrong,
I love racing a motorcycle, and
I love the feeling of winning, but
when I get up and go cycling
and go to ride, I don't mind going
cycling and going swimming. I
can't run anymore. My knees
are jacked, my ankles. But the
training part, going to the gym
and training is good for me. It's
the riding, to be honest with
you. It's knowing that you got to
go practice with all intentions of
going just as fast as you're going
to race. And if you don't do that,
you're not getting much out of
it. I'm not in a place, mentally,
where I want to do that anymore.
So, getting motivated to actually
just do the riding part is where I'm
"The fear of
losing is greater
than the joy of
winning."
Russell realized early in his racing
career that fitness was key.
Russell's number-one fans—his
wife, Chandler, and son, Krue.
