Page 62 - Issue43

JUSTIN BOGLE
450 SX / 11TH
IMAGE / LANGSTON WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> Many from around the world eye the city of St.Louis with the smell of hops and taste linger- ing on their lips of that ever so tasty foam in which crests the top of selected glasses. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery is located here, and is a huge landmark for many that come within the cities limits. A guilty pleasure of many, drinks such as Budweiser can be tipped back by many after a hard days work, or during leisure time with friends, however for many on the Supercross tour, these instances are a rarity. You see, for riders such as Justin Bogle, the intricacies of their diet and training regimen don’t allow for a Snickers or Coca-Cola soft drink, much less a 6 pack of longnecks. It’s admirable nonetheless, and just one thing that these competitors have to give up in order to be the best at their craft. A beverage that had been on his mind, as well as all others on the tour however, was champagne; and never drunken smooth, yet sprayed with wild intentions, all over fans and media alike as they stood atop the podium. The thought loomed in his head all day, as he was found absolutely penetrating the left hander before the mechanics area, sweeping as wide as the barriers would let him, arcing as hard as his tread would allow, all the while shutting down with a slight drag of rear brake and engine deceleration heading into the next left. He knew in order to compete with the likes of the series leaders; he would have
to bridge that gap of uncertainty. And although he had a few hiccups throughout the day, a few ticks of his clickers and rebound adjustments back at the truck had him set up well for the night show; as he was seen getting into the main event with flying colors. It was now time to put up or shut up, this is where the money was made. The second gear of the 450 had the sprocket just on the nudge of snapping, until a dump of the clutch would shower the trailing tuffblocks, and the big show was underway. Just on the brink of disaster, he managed come away and cross the opening stripe engulfed in a downtown traffic jam; except this time there were no horns, just rev limiters. His charismatic style could be seen on both the SX triple following the whoops, as he would kick the rear end to the right all the while creating a gyro effect, and the large finish line jump, making sure to keep his eyes focused on the prize that laid ahead the entire time. Digging each and every lap, the top ten seemed to just hover near for a good portion of the moto, reaching for 9th, fading to tenth, battling for twelfth and so on. He knew he had to leave
it all on the track. He had a few unique lines, one in particular, where he was cutting the bowl turn prior to the whoops a little bit sharper than most missing the main grove that was getting entrenched, and setting up on lines that were a tad more even; it would pay off, maintaining him in the eleventh spot as he would round the circuit for the last time. And with a ride like that, who knows, maybe one of those beers is well deserved for this occasion.