Page 103 - MPG9

theGRIT
He wins the Transworld Slam plus being podium contender in the Straight Rhythm and Monster Cup.
Vince is more than qualified to be out there racing and fighting with the big boys. You put Vinces’ ‘run-ins’ next to most of the other ‘passionate’ riders and they seem relatively harmless. Certainly not malicious or really even unnecessary. He’s just trying to be the best he can be like a true American. For the last few years on the big stage, Friese has continually relented that he doesn’t have the ‘natural speed’ of the top runners, and that he has to fight extra hard and work extra hard to ride at the same pace. Always a strong starter, Vince doesn’t like ‘getting passed and going backwards’ and he, like 99.9% of the riders out there, is willing to fight to main- tain position. Earlier on in his career, when his aggressive reputation was being formed, he had to be more aggressive to make up for his lack of speed. But, since 2013, he’s gotten faster and faster and faster and, as a result, has said that he doesn’t need to be as aggressive as he once was to run up front. Anybody who works with him says he’s a ‘good kid’, he works hard and is completely dedicated. It’s no secret that speed isn’t easy and that some naturally have more of it than others. But at the heart of the sport is the common ground; how bad do you want it? Vince Friese wants it, and he’s not gonna move over and quit, because, you guessed it, he has grit.
words/CHRISTOPHERANTOLAK WWW.GRITMOTO.COM 103