Forum whore
It has been said that the IoM is the reason there hasn't been many British world champs.
Someone I knew and used to race with was killed over there some years ago. http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/com...x?ride_id=4373
It partly in turn made me think there was more to life than motorcycling and I took a break away from it for a few years and pursued other interests.
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Obviously not a Father.....thank Christ for that.Originally Posted by imdying
Forum whore
I did all that - trying to keep some part of me sane - I saw out the kids through to leaving school. I was snowboarding, and taking more and more risks and not giving a damn! My older son said, when I told my wife "that's it, I'm through"...."if you were any lower (spiritually), you'd be under the floor!".
It almost destroyed me - it took several years of intensive bike riding to rebuild my soul!
Shared dreams and involvement of those concerned, knowing the risks - life is not a bag of cotton wool!
Immense respect, not just to Paul, but to his whole family!
It's too easy to give it all up for the sake of others and regret it all later........
“- He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
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If I read you right, and do correct me if I'm wrong - you admit you were being selfish and putting your own interests first in your life to the detriment of your family? Your post is of one who should never have got married in the first place.
Women and children are people too, with their own dreams and desires and when you make a commitment to a family, you simply can't live as a single person selfishly and expect to have a happy family life. Maybe I have missed out on some things I'd have liked to do, but I fell in love, married and after 33 years, (this Oct.), I have an amazing family! My 3 children are all grown up and I was closely involved in that and I now have the joy of a grandson and another grandchild on the way. My wife is my best friend and companion and we are closer and more in love now than ever. My family is inseparable, each with their own life, two daughters married, but the love and bond we share makes the last 33 years well worth all the effort and sacrifice and anxiety that goes into a long term relationship.
I'm sure that anyone here who has been married a long time and has grown up children will appreciate all this. The truth of life is that you simply can't have it all, life is a compromise at the best of times and living only for oneself leaves you alone and empty in the end.
I don't criticise Paul for the choice he made as it was with the support of his wife, well, perhaps a wee bit for the sake of his children who had no say in his career, but I didn't know him personally so I won't judge him, as I won't judge anyone.
It is interesting to note comments by those who have been injured in racing and have reconsidered their career because of it. I know such as Shaun have earned huge respect for their decisions but also note that those who feel I am wrong or being unfair, are those who haven't raced and crashed as husbands and fathers.
People generally do what they believe is right for them which makes criticism unwelcome and many are defensive feeling they are being attacked or that the one critical of their choices has no right to be so. My purpose, as always, is to provoke thought, to challenge, to promote discussion so that we may hear other's views and perhaps see another viewpoint. The good thing about forums like KB is that there is a wide variety of people and opinions, of age and experience, and by having discussions like this we may gain a better understanding of issues and perhaps modify our own to our betterment.
You don't get to be an old dog without learning a few tricks.
Shorai Powersports batteries are very trick!
In the riders seat
Shaun has been advertising for a sidecar on a UK site and looking to race one at the isle of Man so it doesn't look as though he has given up anything
"If you can make black marks on a straight from the time you turn out of a corner until the braking point of the next turn, then you have enough power."
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Interesting, I'd like him to comment.
You don't get to be an old dog without learning a few tricks.
Shorai Powersports batteries are very trick!
Forum whore
What about the young kid, who'd had so many concussions he got told to give up rugby or be in a chair for the rest of his life. Because he loved the sport, he decided the doctor hadn't said anything about touch rugby, so continued to play that. A couple of years later, he got killed by someone who decided to drive his car into a group of young kids.
He gave up something he loved for the right reasons, but he still died. That wasn't fair, he hadn't lived his life yet (he was 19).
I'm saddened by the loss of a friend, but also know how much he loved bikes & racing. I'm glad Bridget was with him this year.
I'm glad you're still around, and had Paul been in the same boat, things might've been different. But that's the way things have turned out for him and his lovely family, and we will never know any differently. My first memory when I heard the news was of him when we were talking with the girls at TRRS last year
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My husband races and he had a big crash last year - luckily only a lot of minor injuries but it could have been so much worse. I had made a promise when I first met him not to make a fuss if he had an accident. I hated every minute of being strong at the hospital, crying quietly behind his back. I used to enjoy watching him race but now I just go in case something happens.
The weird thing is that the few crashes he has had is only when I am not there............
I knew what he did before we got together, and I know how much he loves it.
I agree with Edbear on one hand, but I also think (in my case) you shouldn't try to wrap the one you love in cotton wool (but damn I wish I could)
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What about the young kid, who'd had so many concussions he got told to give up rugby or be in a chair for the rest of his life. Because he loved the sport, he decided the doctor hadn't said anything about touch rugby, so continued to play that. A couple of years later, he got killed by someone who decided to drive his car into a group of young kids.
He gave up something he loved for the right reasons, but he still died. That wasn't fair, he hadn't lived his life yet (he was 19).
I'm saddened by the loss of a friend, but also know how much he loved bikes & racing. I'm glad Bridget was with him this year.
I'm glad you're still around, and had Paul been in the same boat, things might've been different. But that's the way things have turned out for him and his lovely family, and we will never know any differently. My first memory when I heard the news was of him when we were talking with the girls at TRRS last year
Life can be cruel and often unfair which probably leads people to take risks in order to have a "full" life and do things they love even if it carries higher risk reasoning, "I can die crossing the road, so why not have fun!" I understand that, but for me, despite facing death 5 times now, I still try to minimize risk as reasonably as I can. I have an aversion to pain and dying, so I wouldn't skydive or engage in other past-times that carry a good chance of getting hurt. But that's me.
As I said, maybe I'm a woose or just getting old, but really I'm talking about extra high risk activities. I've said I enjoy motorcycle racing in general, but on tracks designed for it, road racing is an order of magnitude greater in risk and circuits like the IoM, as beautiful and appealing as it may be to those who race there is inherently very dangerous.
You don't get to be an old dog without learning a few tricks.
Shorai Powersports batteries are very trick!
Forum whore
You've hit the nail on the head, love!
My wife and kids went through the same with my accident. Now the irony here is that I nearly died obeying all the road rules and driving according to the conditions and no other person was involved, so some may think I am being unjustified with my concerns. But as I posted above, the difference is where one chooses an activity that carries a very great risk of harm, and such events as the IoM TT is noted and accepted as being a class above the norm where risk is concerned.
I got a PM from someone who's partner, (term used to disguise gender), made the hard choice to quit racing after a bad accident due to the effect on them and their children. Kitty if your husband were to read your post, what do you think he'd say?
You don't get to be an old dog without learning a few tricks.
Shorai Powersports batteries are very trick!
Forum whore
He would tell me to harden the f up! He says I am too sensitive, and cry too easily. And yes I am too senstive and cry too easily - I told him that makes me the woman he wanted to marry.
I know my parents worry about me riding - my Mum in particular never got over a bad car accident I had a few years back - that is hard for her but I am going to do what I want to do.
I can see the selfishness on both our parts ..... I have lived my life scared of everything and all the risks involved. It is only in the past few years I have said to hell with it and just done it.
In fact, since meeting my husband and all the things I have wished I could do, he has encouraged me to do them.
reminded me of a post in this thread about the skydiving - the 15 year old kid that will never take the risk- sounded like me and I felt so bad for the parent who can see the limitations that the child will have in their life (sorry I can remember who it was - will go check)
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This is the post I meant. This kid sounds like me - poor kid. But what can you do? Nothing, you just have to let them be.
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Maybe you are.Yes, maybe I'm a bit of a woose since my accident - I know it's going to take some time to get my mojo back, but I also know that the accident has changed me, more so perhaps than the other 4 times I've nearly died... Maybe I'm just getting old...
Risk is relative, and what is an acceptable level of risk is different for every one of us. You are still going to ride your bike right ? To many people that means you are a crash waiting to happen. Those people would never understand the TT, mind you, I am not sure that you do either. I know that I wouldn't have the balls to ride the circuit at full chat, but have immense respect for those that do.
There are things you can do where the consequences of getting it wrong can be final. In my view it is those same pastimes where the feeling of getting it right feeds the dopamine addiction to such an extent that you will keep on doing it, even after you get married and 'settle down'. And that is what life is all about. As an ex skydiver however I don't think you can compare that and the TT. Most of the risk has been taken out of jumping, it is just a perception based on how things were in the bad old days, a bit like riding bikes in the 70's.
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I agree, and well said. Not the bit about getting old...Maybe you are.
Risk is relative, and what is an acceptable level of risk is different for every one of us. You are still going to ride your bike right ? To many people that means you are a crash waiting to happen. Those people would never understand the TT, mind you, I am not sure that you do either. I know that I wouldn't have the balls to ride the circuit at full chat, but have immense respect for those that do.
There are things you can do where the consequences of getting it wrong can be final. In my view it is those same pastimes where the feeling of getting it right feeds the dopamine addiction to such an extent that you will keep on doing it, even after you get married and 'settle down'. And that is what life is all about. As an ex skydiver however I don't think you can compare that and the TT. Most of the risk has been taken out of jumping, it is just a perception based on how things were in the bad old days, a bit like riding bikes in the 70's.I can understand as a rider who has "explored the limits" of my riding and the bike, the thrill of "getting it right" and feeling the bike at its limits, so if you extrapolate that to racing and seeing the faces of the riders after they have won a race, I can understand how a rider can look at the challenge of such a circuit and feel elated to have "conquered" it. However the consequences of failure are dire and far worse than a purpose-designed race track where most crashes see the rider scrambling to his feet and trying to restart the bike, even at speeds over 200km/h.
I guess it is, in the end, up to us as individuals to decide what is "acceptable risk". My personal view is that for me, I try to ensure I live as long as possible in as good a health as possible in a world where accidents occur and death is indiscriminate. So because of my family relationship and my own priorities, I wouldn't race at a venue where I consider the risk too great. I would love to try a track day at a race track where it is designed for it, but wouldn't race a road circuit.
However having said that, I think the record of Paeroa, despite the sad fatality at the last one, shows that a tighter circuit where speeds are much lower can be fun.
You don't get to be an old dog without learning a few tricks.
Shorai Powersports batteries are very trick!
Forum whore
Those who understand need no explanation, for those who do not understand no explanantion is possible. (poorly paraphrased)
Sorry Ed, you obviously have an opinion/philosophy on how to "live" your life and seem to be defending/advocating it. Good luck with that.
Others have a different way of living their lives, get used to it.
For an explanantion closer to home: Craig Shirriffs at Hampton Downs recently. To you he would seem to be defying every sensibility, to me he was inspirational. So, do you wanna be a sensible Dad....or an inspirational Dad?
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