INTERVIEW
2016 CYCLE NEWS RIDERS OF THE YEAR
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a little bit nerve-wracking be-
cause on the motocross test the
start was really bad and the track
was kind of sketchy. We were
just focused on keeping it on two
wheels and finishing because
that's all we needed to do."
Team USA got a big monkey
off their backs by finally getting
through all six days without any
major misfortunes—a welcome re-
lief after being so close to victory
year after year.
"We've been on the cusp of
winning the event the last three
years. It was just the pieces of the
puzzle needed to fall together,"
Russell said. "That event's brutal
and it takes a toll on your body
and your bike and we're just get-
ting the bad end of the stick every
time. It was really nice to hold it
together and finally get it done. It
was a huge sigh of relief."
"It's enduro racing. You never
know what's going to happen,"
said Robert. "I was still really
nervous. Once the final moto was
done, we were just like, 'Ugh!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad
that's done!' We got it over with
and everyone was so emotional.
There was tears and hugs; it felt
really cool."
DICK BURLESON
No rider has more AMA Na-
tional Enduro Championships
than Dick Burleson. He's got
eight of them—and all in a
row, too. From 1974 to 1981
Burleson was the king of the
woods, which led to his knick
name "King Richard." He
was also a pretty darn good
ISDE rider, earning eight
gold medals out of 12 tries,
and that was during an era
of unreliable motorcycles and
when emphasis was more on
technical trails than grass
tracks. He retired from pro-
fessional racing in 1981 but
still rides.
"I have mixed emotions,"
Burleson says of America's
first ISDE win. "Back in
the day, it was six guys, the
motorcycles weren't as good,
so there was more emphasis
on being a mechanic and in
endurance. It was just differ-
ent than what it is today; it
has evolved more into grass-
track special tests. But on the
other hand, that's just how
it is now and I'm stoked for
them [the 2016 U.S. team].
It's awesome.
"The Six Days was something
in its day, then it seemed to
kind of lose its mojo, but it
came back, which had a lot
to do with Kurt [Caselli]. He
helped bring it back and got
these guys to bond again. He
meant a lot to the Six Days
[in the U.S.]."
Michael just kept getting
stronger and stronger as
the week progressed.
