Between the Motos: Davi Millsaps
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 | 10:40 AM
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Let’s be straight: it has not been a good year for JGR Muscle Milk Toyota’s Davi Millsaps. A winner of three career SX Class mains and the 2006 AMA Supercross Lites East Championship, Millsaps has been hard pressed to even snag top-five finishes this season. He’s still on the mend from a big crash last year at the Budds Creek AMA Pro Motocross, where he lost a kidney. But he’s starting to recover. After a fifth over the weekend in Salt Lake City, we asked about his recovery.
Racer X Online: You got a top five. Was that good, what do you think?
Davi Millsaps: It was, well, it was top five.
But it’s been a tough season. So does that mean top five is good?
Yeah, it has been a tough season. But would you be happy just getting fifth?
Millsaps was solid at Salt Lake City, scoring a top-five finish.
Photo: Simon Cudby
I know you’ve been to the top and have won races before. But are you finally starting to feel better?
Even last weekend, I crashed and I was twenty-five seconds behind last place and I still came up to eighth. So it’s better. But not only that, but I changed my program up a lot, I changed everything.
So it’s starting to come together.
Yeah. You know, the whole thing I’ve talked about with you before is, it hasn’t even been a year since I lost my kidney. And it has been causing complications that I didn’t even know about. We did some bloodwork and it turns out I’m anemic. I was just hitting the wall. I couldn’t even do twenty laps, I couldn’t even do eight laps. I wasn’t getting better. I sat down and had a talk with the team trainer, I sat down and talked with Yogi [riding coach Ezra Lusk], and we just decided something needs to change. We found a new program that I really enjoy and it’s working for me. Even the weekend before Seattle, I don’t even know what I got, but I did twenty laps. Seattle I came from the back, and tonight I came from the back and got fifth. Normally, I come from the back, move up, and then go back again!
So how long have you been at it with this new program?
Three weeks.
And it has already made a difference?
Yeah. And the only difference it’s making right now is that I can actually do twenty laps. I’m just looking forward to the future. This program I’m on, it gets harder into the future. Everything I’m doing right now is geared toward what happened to me in June with the kidney, and what I can and can’t do, and how I recover and things like that. Losing your kidney, you don’t realize what it does to your body. People should be grateful that they have two of them.
It has been a long road back for Millsaps.
Photo: Simon Cudby
At any point did you consider that you couldn’t do this anymore?
No. Right from the start of the season I knew something was wrong with me. I couldn’t get through this barrier, not in practice, not in the races, I was just stuck. So we had some bloodwork and found out that I was anemic, I figured maybe that was the reason why. So now I just eat a lot of red steak, taking more iron in my vitamins, that’s the only thing I changed as far as that. But what I really like is working on my new training program, it really helps me recover better before the races.
And this is with Tim, the JGR team trainer, and with Ezra Lusk?
Yes. With my team trainer. Yogi is kind of just geared toward the riding, and the trainer and I came up with this program.
So the team didn’t just say, “this is how you need to train just keep doing what you’re doing?”
No, they were cool with it because I wanted to do it.
So any idea of a time table here to when you’re really feeling it?
Well, they said it could be two years before your one kidney begins to take over for the function of the other. But that’s not really the problem, on this program I’ll definitely be getting stronger a lot more quickly than that. I’ve already lost a little weight, and my goal for this summer is to be lighter than I’ve ever been since I’ve been pro. I really think it’s going to keep getting better for me.
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holeshot?! yea.....nothin to say.wellp...bartledoo
Good luck Davi, hope you make a full recovery and get to ride at your full potential soon
Would you be happy just getting fifth?
Dirt
Davi you have more excuses than the goverment. Good luck finding a ride next year..
Same excuses as on team Honda can ride 20 hard laps.no way can he run a full out door moto
Weasel49, have YOU lost a kidney? Millsaps isn't making excuses; he's dealing w/a major health issue. And Weege, it's GRATEFUL, not greatful. Get a dictionary.
Weege, it's spelled "grateful". You really should have known. J/K!
Good luck with your program Davi. Not too many people know what it's like to recover from such a trauma. Don't listen the asshats on these message boards and hold your head high. Your still a major fan favorite.
Amazing that writers for a national publication can't spell sometimes. I realize this isn't the Wall Street Journal or Time, but, c'mon!
No need to be such a dick, Weasel49. Those aren't excuses, just explanations. Try losing a major internal organ and see what happens to you. Oh, wait, that clearly already happened...you lost your heart and became an @$$hole.
Get well soon Davi,to all you idiots behind a key board hes not making excuses, if you haven't lost a kidney, you dont know whats its like I'm sure that hes faster than you could ever hope for, even with only one kidney
Same old story! Always an excuse with Mudflaps!
Millsaps is pretty badass for coming back to racing in my internet opinion. Props to him and I hope he tops his fifth place soon.
GO Davi!!! I didnt hear excuses. He has sacrificed a lot to do this and some assholes who can´t do 1 lap on a supercross track puts him down on the forums. Everybody who makes a main is a hero in my book!
Millsaps is a great rider but he’s too big to ride with the same speed than the top five. MX1GP + Oz SX is maybe better for him? sorry for my bad English
He has a tough time the last year or so physically. Hope the man heals up. Always liked him.
I do like Milsaps, the guy has a lot more personality than the dude running the number 1 plate at the mo, although sayin that, the dude does seem to have to "change his program" an awful lot..
PQ: rock on!
Davi red meat and iron won't help that much, start taking erythropoietin. Talk to your nephrologist about it.
Davi red meat and iron won't help that much, start taking erythropoietin. Talk to your nephrologist about it.
Davi is a 5-10 place guy and he delivers for his team and spopnsors. Not everybody can be stewart LOL Good job davi
I was at budds when Davi crashed, standing at the corner when he went down hard! Baggett crashed in the same spot, credit for those 2 coming back and riding at this level.
Stick with it Davey! We really respect how bad you want it and all the hard work (and risk). Will see you at Hangtown!
wow We really Dont get it Do we? Any of these Dudes can kick our ass on a SX/MX track,,I (still) hate that Eeevvvrrryyone Only talks about the Top 5.. Were talking about the BEST 20/or 40 riders probably in the world at each race on that given day.. Get em Milsaps ,,And thanks for the autograph at Steel city,That day MC came out rode a national for ole' times sake..I forget the year..2003 maybe.. :?
First... Good for Milsaps to come back after what he has gone through...
But... He's being paid big $$.. Seriously... You are being paid millions to be what... Top 10 rider? WTF???
Like me hiring a sales rep, giving him a base salary to dream of, and he does not help improve my sales?
Plus... He's being paid to race SX & MX... So of course he's going to kick ass to many of us...
And I have been watching him for many yrs now... He's always giving excuses... Even Stanton, Kehoe and others have given up on him. I reckon, soon JGR will as well...
I can tell you this... This coming outdoors is make or break for him...
He's got the talent... More than many other riders.. Just piss's me off he's not up front kicking Stewie's ass for example.. Something he can and should easily do!
@Didier-- I dont think he is being paid millions. Maybe his first year or so in the big bikes class. But I doubt he is maing that now. Not when Pourcel couldnt get a ride and MIllsaps has one.
About the erythropoietin (aka EPO) comment. That stuff is banned in pro bicycle racing. Riders have died from it's effects. Pretty dangerous stuff, so don't even consider it without talking with your doctor. It might make sense for Davi, but let's not lead riders to believe it is some secret sauce.
If you guys want to go fast, read Dr. Michael Cogan's "Optimum Sports Nutrition". Old, but has tons of important data.
Not sure if Davi's team is blaming the loss of his kidney for being anemic, but it sorta reads like that. There are no cases of anemia associated with loss of kidney that I have come across in my studies. There is with Chronic Kidney Disease / Renal Failure. He also states that he is going to be eating more red meat which I find funny seeing as last time he spoke about his lack luster performance it was due to having creatine in his supplements. Not that red meat has a lot but it is a good source of it. just saying.
Wouldn't damaging a kidney to the point that it fails to function be considered renal failure???