Jason Anderson is in typically laid back fashion as he arrives in Calgary, Canada for the preseason photoshoot. He’s early for his slot and takes a seat as other riders queue up for their photographs to be taken. He’s greeted warmly by Cooper Webb like a long lost friend. Despite Anderson’s languid body language, beneath the surface he’s itching to get back on a bike and race for the first time since March.
For Anderson, the break from racing appears to have delivered perspective more than relaxation. After a lifetime built around competition, training, travel and race weekends, stepping away was not as easy as simply enjoying free time. But now, he’s ready to return, and as the defending world champion in the SX1 class as the new season kicks off in Canada.
For some, carrying the number-one status into a new campaign would bring pressure, expectation and the heavy weight of a target on their back. For Anderson, it sounds much simpler. The 33-year-old is not dressing up the moment or pretending it needs to be anything more dramatic than another chance to race.
“It just feels normal race for me,” Anderson said when asked how it feels to come into the season as defending champion. “I’m just excited to see where we stand and get going. I really enjoy what I do. I enjoy my middle of the week. I enjoy having that purpose of waking up and training and going to the track.”
Anderson has been racing since he was six years old and is now entering what he described as his ’17th or 18th year’ as a professional. In that context, time away did not feel like freedom but instead it was unfamiliar.
“When you wake up and you don’t really have anything to do, it’s just a different lifestyle,” Anderson said. “I’ve been racing since I was six years old, and I’m 33 right now, so I think that’s maybe the longest time I haven’t even just ridden in general, and I didn’t like it.
“We complain about travelling and going to the airport,” Anderson said, “but I do miss even just going to the airport on Friday and then flying home on Sunday. I have a routine, a life routine, and it’s hard to switch that up.”
That routine is now back and with it comes the competitive fire Anderson says is still there.
“To be honest, just at this point in my career, I just want to be racing. I’m 33 years old right now, so I’m kind of getting on the older side,” Anderson said. “But at the same time, I still feel like I have fire to be able to do good, and I think I could still be up front and contend with the fastest guys out there.”
