| Q. |
When
did u decide to go pro? Because im a 18 year old expert and
i beat everyone in my class. So do you think I should go pro
or stay ex for a couple more years because pro is a whole another
level and i will probably get my a** wooped. |
| A. |
Yeah, being
Pro BMX Racer is definitely hard. All of the pros have dedicated
nearly their whole life to getting to the level they are at
and on the track they take their job seriously. I wouldn't
rush into turning pro. Some people either get bored with racing
amateur or they just want to have the title of being a "Pro"
BMX Racer, neither of which are a very good reason to go pro.
Take your time and don't rush into it, because if you do and
then realize you weren't mentally ready and physically prepared
then you might get discouraged and quit racing all together.
|
| Q. |
How
do you become a pro? |
| A. |
You work
really hard racing as an amateur and make sure you feel as
though you have achieved everything you could as an amateur,
then think if you are mentally and physically ready for the
challenge of turning pro, you should make the jump. Being
a Pro BMX Racer is an awesome feeling and it's great being
able to do something you love for your job.
|
| Q. |
I
am 5'7" 140 lbs, people are telling me Ishould be running
1 3/8 rims on my cruiser, is this right? |
| A. |
No. I Would
recommend 1.5 cruiser rims. For a long time I always ran too
small of wheels and it cost me races because I would slide
out a lot. I went to 1 3/8 cruiser wheels when I was 15 or
16 I believe, but I was 5' and maybe 120 pounds. I run 1.5
cruiser wheels now and I'm 5'5''ish and 145 pounds. So for
sure get on the 1.5 wheels and keep them on. They will feel
weird for a while but you will get used to it, trust me.
|
| Q. |
Donny,
I'm a short rider too! What gearing do you use and what crank
arm size would you recomend for a 5'3" 30-34 Expert. Dude,
YOU Rule! |
| A. |
You know, I
think short cranks are the way to go. I ran 175's and big
gears for years and years and just this year I went to 170
cranks and went down in my gears. This is only my opinion
and what seems to work for me but I'm running the 170 cranks
now and 47/17 on my 20'' and I believe 42/18 on my cruiser.
Mess around with some different combinations and put a speedometer
on your bike to track times and speeds, this will definitely
help in your decision.
|
| Q. |
What
do you do in order to train for first straight speed and second
third pedal speed? I have a strong snap and first pedal, maybe
a good second pedal but i thikn my 3rd to 5th lack. What would
you do to train to get that better? |
| A. |
It's really
hard for me to give specifics on training for improvement
on second pedal and such because if I say to do certain things
and it doesn't work then you might get mad at me. But my opinion
on improving your first straight speed would be good explosive
leg workouts at the gym and plyometric workouts, along with
20-40 pedal sprints in the street. Ask around for specific
workouts but even basics with these three with definitely
yield improvement.
|
| Q. |
What
was your first factory sponser? When did you earn it? I think
your the best AApro rider inthe aba.Do you race in nbl? |
| A. |
My first
factory sponsor was Hyper Bicycles in late 1994 I believe.
After that I was picked up by Powerlite Industries in mid
1995 and rode for them for 6 years. It took me 6 years of
hard training and sacrifices and winning to become a factory
rider but it is worth it for sure. When I was on Powerlite
I raced all the NBL races but I stopped with NBL after they
took away the factory team title. I just started racing all
the Elite Pro NBL races this year and I'm glad to be back.
|
| Q. |
Hey
Donny. Iam a 14 expert and I am right on the bouble. Iam making
my semi's and Iusually can come close to making the mains and
sometimes Ido make the mains but Idont want to do it sometimes.
Iwant it all the times. What can Ido to get faster and better,
I train and sprint about 3 to 4 times a day. Please help me. |
| A. |
You have to
believe you can make the main. If you think all the riders
out there will beat you, then you have already set yourself
up for failure. Being mentally prepared is way more important
than being physically prepared. This may sound strange, but
to make the semis or win the mains you have to first believe
you can. Becoming confident comes with making the semis or
the mains or even winning local races. You can do these things
by working hard at home by training. If you train then you
will become faster and faster which will make it easier for
you to make the mains and to place top 3. When you accomplish
these things you will become more confident which, in turn,
will again make it easier to win national main events.
|
| Q. |
Is your collar bone healing up ok?
|
| A. |
Yes, my collarbone is great! I have an awesome doctor that made sure I was back on my bike within 4 weeks racing big nationals. I have yet to go back to see if the bone is actually healed (because it wasn't when I left for the races) but I have crashed a good 4 times and I haven't had any pain, so I think everything is still good.
|
| Q. |
Do you ever ride flat pedals? Do you ever ride trails? |
| A. |
I ride flat pedals a lot when I train and when I ride trails. The nearest trails are about an hour away from me so it makes it tough to be able to ride them with any kind of frequency. I wish I had some trails closer that I could ride every day because it definitely helps with your racing as well.
|
| Q. |
At what level in BMX should someone start training and how should they go about it? |
| A. |
A rider should start training the moment they realize they want to win and be competitive in BMX racing. The age of the rider will determine more what training should be done. For example you wouldn't want to start a 9 year old on a weight program at the gym. Ask around the track or visit a BMX training clinic for some tips from the teachers. "Avalanche" Richie Anderson and Mike Redman teach some of the best around. Especially if your child is young and you try to ask some of the younger riders' parents at the track for training advice, they might hold back any useful information since they don't want to give any secrets away that will lead to your child beating theirs, so you will have to do some investigating sometimes.
|
| Q. |
I'm 30 and am interested in getting into racing cruisers. I never raced or rode when I was a kid so I have no experience whatsoever. Guess I'm having my midlife crisis early? I was just wondering if you had an suggestions on how I could train or what to work on here at my house since I live about an hour from a track or if I should even get into it? Thanks. |
| A. |
Of course you should get into the sport. Not only is it fun and you meet all sorts of awesome people but it keeps you in shape. The cruiser class is perfect for you and what I recommend to all that start is to be on your bike constantly. Whether it's riding the local track or riding around town or in the hills, bike handling is the most important in racing. I'm sure you know strength exercises in the gym, so strength isn't a problem (nor is it the most important thing right now). You just need to ride your bike anywhere you can. Since my local track is also an hour from my house you know everybody in my town is sick and tired of seeing me race up and down the streets polishing up on my bike skills.
|
| Q. |
It seems like being the smallest guy in the class your whole life is what has made you the way you are. Do you think you would you be as determined and try as hard as you do if you were say .. 6 foot1"? |
| A. |
It's really tough to say what I would have been like if I were taller. I know that with the type of person I am I have to prove people wrong when they doubt me or say I cannot do something. With my size come the people who doubt me, thus giving me the determination to work as hard as I can to prove them wrong. If I were taller maybe no one would have doubted me and I wouldn't have worked hard since I had no one to prove wrong. Who knows....
|
| Q. |
If you are a B-pro in NBL, early 90's what does it transpose to in ABA. Do I re-register pro? |
| A. |
I would love to help with this one but I honestly couldn't tell you what B-pro transposes to as I was never familiar with the term B-pro since I was so young in the early 90's. A good source for information is VintageBMX.com. Those guys on there rock and have been racing for ever, they have great knowledge of the sport.
|
| Q. |
Do you like being a pro or would you to back to rookie? |
| A. |
Being a rookie is really fun because you are learning so many new things, like how to manual and jump but being pro is so much fun. All the years of hard work as amateur have paid off and now I am able to make a living off of racing my bike as a pro. So as much as being rookie was fun, I am having more fun now and wouldn't want to go back.
|
| Q. |
Hey Donny Robinson has Robbie Miranda ever beaten you or have you beaten him?
|
| A. |
I have beaten Robbie, but he has also beaten me. Robbie has killer abilities on his bike and I think we all know that he can win at any time on any type of track.
|
| Q. |
What do you do for your training?
|
| A. |
Right now I have an excellent trainer. His name is German Medina and is Mario Soto's trainer. He knows a lot and has been helping me with sport-specific gym work, sprints and track work. Everybody really does the same things for training, the difference is how much effort and time you put into your training.
|
| |
More to come next week! |
