MxLarge Story
Marc De Reuver interview - Damage Control
Interview Friday 27th January 2011 By Geoff Meyer
Marc De Reuver has always been one of my favorite people in the sport of Motocross. He might not have a World Championship to his name, and he isn’t even a factory rider anymore, but his passion for life and his always smiling face.
Recently the Dutchman crashed and injured his shoulder. It’s another serious injury y and one that will keep him out of the sport for three months. I called him up today at his parents’ house in Amsterdam and asked him how he’s going.
MXlarge: Where are you now?
De Reuver: I am in Amsterdam with my parents and my Amsterdam buddies. It’s different here, I went out yesterday out with an old school friend, it was just like talking back in school, he isn’t talking about Marc De Reuver the Motocross racer, he doesn’t care that I have a nice car, it’s really nice. Only one of my friends rides Motocross. It’s a bit strange; we all just talk about shit. I will spend two weeks in Amsterdam with my family and then I go back to start to prepare for my return to racing. I have everything in Belgium.
MXlarge: Marc, tell me what happened, how did you crash?
De Reuver: Man, it was my fault again. I crashed in Spain and hurt my shoulder. I had had the operation on my pelvis and the cut is between my legs you know. I was riding at the track and I felt it wasn’t right, they didn’t do the operation well, it hurt. I should have put my stuff in the van and just gone home, but I was angry, so I went out riding and I crashed.
MXLarge: How did you crash, was it another big one?
De Reuver: There was a table top and after the table top was an uphill and when I landed and I spun and crashed into the side of the track with my handlebars. It was a big crash, I spitting blood again for a couple of days. At first I was spitting up a lot of blood, my lungs were bruised.
MXlarge: You have had periods in the past that you wanted to stop racing because of the injuries, how was that this time?
De Reuver: No, now not, it’s strange, but I didn’t have that this time.
MXlarge: With all your injuries you are going to be a really old man when you get older?
De Reuver: I am already and old man. I mean when I sit down on the sofa and then I get up again the first few steps are not really like a guy from 27, more like an old man. I don’t worry about that.
MXlarge: So when will you come back?
De Reuver: I have to wait for three months, I had the operation on my shoulder, but it’s a shit operation, the tendon is torn off my shoulder. It’s not like a bone where you just plate it; the tendon needs to take time. They put the tendon back on my shoulder, it’s not a good operation, and you have to be very careful.
MXlarge: So will you miss many races, how is the team about this?
De Reuver: I go back to the doctor on Saturday, I mean the team is disappointed, but what can you do. I will miss the first two rounds of the Dutch Championship for sure, it’s not possible to win it, and my season is stuffed again.
MXlarge: What about the desire to still win a Grand Prix, or perform at the top, do you still want that?
De Reuver: Yes, I still want to win Grand Prix’s, I still love riding. You know if I break two legs or two arms I always come back and I want to show that I still have it, even if I have to buy my own bike next year. I am 27, so I am on the wrong side of the 20’s, but I want to come back man, I still love riding.
MXlarge: What are the steps for the coming weeks then?
De Reuver: I can’t do anything for the first few weeks, but then on the home trainer I can do some stuff.
MXlarge: Have you been watching Ken Roczen and the Supercross races?
De Reuver: Man, I want Roczen to win. When I look at him riding that is really me, also when I was young, just wide open. Man he can get a win this weekend, it’s possible. You know what, Roczen crashes less than anyone else in the Grand Prix’s, so imagine if somebody like Frossard or somebody who crashes a lot goes to America, they will kill themselves. I mean Roczen is desperate to win here in Europe, but he doesn’t crash.
MXlarge: A lot of great Motocross riders have suffered problems in their careers because of Supercross. Maybe the whole era of the 1990’s would have been different had some of them stayed here.
De Reuver: For sure man, Langston, Tortelli, Albertyn, if they had stayed in Europe it would have been totally different for them 100%.
MXlarge: How is your love life, any girls on the scene?
De Reuver: My love life is shit. I am not interested in girls at the moment, I just want to ride, and I have been off the bike again for so long. I went to a Supercross here in Holland and if I was riding myself. I was watching them racing and thinking what I could have done on that track. When the 5 second board came out I was sweating man. It’s like a virus, I still want to race, I hate it sometimes.
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