By George Gore Browne, Special to the Independent
Professional motorcycle racer Cole Seely was the highest finishing rookie of 2015, with a main event win and third overall in the Supercross Championship point standings. “It was awesome to see that happen,” said Laguna Beach resident and former mountain bike world champion Brian Lopes, Seely’s personal trainer.
While their achievements make them celebrities in their respective sports, this pair walk around unrecognized in their adopted hometown.
Since the first race in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972, dubbed The Super Bowl of Motocross, supercross has grown into a 17-race championship tour of North America that draws corporate sponsors and is considered the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. Riders tackle high jumps, curves and turns on a 20-lap man-made course inside a stadium. The championship begins on the first Saturday of the year in Angel Stadium in Anahiem.
“I’ve been riding for as long as I can remember. I raced BMX at a national level when I was about 4-years-old and started riding motorcycles around the same time,” explains Seely, 26, originally from Newbury Park, who moved to Laguna Beach two years ago to train with Lopes.
While many amateur racers are earmarked for success before they reach their teens, Seely experienced a somewhat under-the-radar amateur career, coming into his own at a later date.
Seely turned professional at 19 in 2009 and earned himself a spot among elite level racers on the Troy Lee Designs Honda racing team for the 2010 season.
Seely achieved five race wins and a measure of adversity during his five-year stint with the team. In the 2012 season, Seely crashed in Salt Lake City, resulting in a lacerated liver, kidney damage and a five-month long recovery.
It was during his time on the team that Seely met Lopes.
Referred to as “undisputedly the best all-around world-class cycling athlete” by USA today, Lopes, 44, is a nine-time mountain bike national champion, four-time mountain bike world champion and inductee to the mountain bike hall of fame.
He continues to race at a professional level today, but also guides Seely’s training schedule off the motorcycle. To prepare for the high intensity of supercross, the pair rely heavily on a combination of mountain biking and gym work. Prior to his current protégé, Lopes had trained two other supercross racers, but credits most of his training expertise to the years he spent on his own conditioning as a professional cyclist.
“Strength and cardio are very important in my sport so I need to be in top shape to be able to compete,” explains Seely.
“It’s a physical sport, probably way more than people think,” says Lopes.
The pair have developed a reputation for approaching training differently from the norm, by often riding their BMX bikes between races, and trying to enjoy the process more.
Seely’s career accomplishments over the past seasons have exceeded many pundits’ predictions.
“There’s no way anyone thought Cole would be this good after watching him as an amateur,” explains Steve Matthes, of Las Vegas, who writes about motorcross for sports publications. “He actually quit the sport for a little bit and early on you could see he had the skills, but he wasn’t in good shape and just seemed to be another kid who didn’t get it,” Matthes said.
Mental discipline plays an enormous role in every athletic endeavor. “The most important thing in both our sports is the mental side of things and Brian is the best at keeping a confident mindset so just to be around that type of person helps,” explains Seely. “He’s a champion in his own sport so it’s good to have someone like that in my corner.”
Lopes agrees. “With any sport at the highest level, there are a handful of guys out there who can win, but the guys who are mentally best prepared are what separates them.”
With visits to Laguna Beach growing more frequent, Seely eventually relocated and credits the ease of access to the mountain biking trails where he trains for some of his success. “I can ride right from home and be on a trail in about five minutes,” he says.
Last year, Seely graduated to the premier class of the sport, earning a position on the factory Honda racing team. This year started out well for him until he was sidelined mid-season by a minor neck injury. Though the next Monster Energy Supercross race takes place Saturday, April 23, in Foxboro, Mass., Seely hopes to return to the circuit before the season finale on May 7 in Las Vegas.
Having worked together for almost four seasons now, Lopes relishes mentoring a younger racer. “I have a lot of fun watching him accomplish successful results and milestones in his career.”
George Gore Browne is a journalism student and Indy intern.
[…] just two seasons of competition in the top class, Seely has asserted himself as a promising young rider and will look to build on his […]