Cycle News

INTERVIEW P142 250 AMA MOTOCROSS CHAMPION ELI TOMAC (Left) Eli Tomac finished off his 250 career with an outdoor championship. (Right) Tomac says that it was a good decision for him to stay on the 250s in 2013. Just because he's quiet in public, though, doesn't mean he's no fun. "A lot of people think I'm just here pounding motos and just grinding it out all the time," Tomac says. "And sure I am, but I also do have a lot more fun than people think. I probably have too much fun sometimes and could whip myself into better shape because I dink around too much playing golf or whatever it is. I know how important it is to have time off the bike. Like, I've been riding Supercross a lot lately and testing – grinding it out. Then I went to that Austin [Texas] Formula One race for four days. I came back here and my first day back on the track I felt like a super-human! It's crazy how just taking a little bit of time off can do so much for you, and it shows you how you can burn yourself out if you never take time off, or do something different to change up your routine." As a competitor, though, Tomac has had to learn a lot over the last few years. Like many champions (probably the overwhelming majority, actually), Tomac's desire to compete, and win, has just always been there. Tomac is a sore loser, no matter if he's racing, mountain-biking with his dad, or playing checkers. It's never okay to lose, and he never feels good about it. However, as he's matured, he's learned to be less of a sore loser. At least outwardly. "You know, a really good thing for me is actually playing golf," Tomac says. "I've noticed that it actually brings out your character like crazy. Most motocrossers think golf is a wimp sport, but for me it's kind of like my getaway. And it teaches you a little bit to just kind of control yourself, too. If you shank one out of bounds or get a double bogey, obviously sometimes you get pissed off, but the more you play you learn that you need to put that stuff behind you or else it affects the rest of your game. So I think the same thing can go into moto. If you get pissed off one lap, it's not going to help the next." Tomac has learned that he can't go all "Happy Gilmore" on the links, but more importantly that if he lets even a bad lap or a stupid crash affect him too much, it can ruin the rest of his race, or maybe even upcoming races. "The mental side of racing is just ridiculous," Tomac says. "I think, once you get to this level, it's like half of the puzzle to have the right mindset. There are plenty of guys who can go fast for one lap, but then doing it every lap and staying focused is a whole other deal. Staying calm helps me keep my focus." >>BORN TO COMPETE From the outside looking in, it seems like Tomac was born into the perfect family to be a champion at something athletic. Not only is his father the greatest mountain-biker of all time, but his mother, Kathy, is actually a former top mountain-biker as well. With genes like that, his success almost seems like a foregone conclusion. However, children don't see their parents the way the public does. To Eli Tomac, his legendary father was always just "Dad." And the last thing most kids want

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