It is very dangerous to have your self-worth riding on your results as an athlete.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think nowadays it's so easy as an athlete to become a statistic whether or not you lose everything or having trouble or whatever it may be.
I know from sitting around with injuries how difficult life will be without racing and riding winners.
I mean, as an athlete, as a competitor, you have to have that belief in yourself.
I was probably in the best shape of any athlete at the time, but you don't get to pass judgment on yourself.
I'm an athlete, so I'm very interested in making the sport as safe as possible - just for my own career longevity.
If I couldn't compete, I wouldn't ride. I don't ride for fun; I ride to prepare for the next competition, and everything that I do when I am in the saddle is always a calculated step in my path to the next win.
I don't see the risk, I enjoy performing stunts, and I don't get scared.
As an athlete, you figure you work your whole life to have what you have, and to be able to show the world what you have and how proud you are of it, that's always fun.
I explain to athletes, you're supposed to be a well-oiled machine. You're supposed to be in better shape than the people watching you. You're supposed to be an unbelievable specimen of a human being. You have to treat your body different while you're performing.
It's a completely different thing, but there's so many things I learned from being an athlete that helped me in business. The only risk is not taking the risk. You've got to take that step.