I just straight up didn't execute race runs top to bottom last year. I was off the pace at Fort Bill, but every other race I just didn't ride to my potential. I was riding really good in practice, I felt faster and more relaxed than any of the previous years I've had, but the mistakes and crashes just kept coming for some reason. I was on race runs that felt perfect, runs that almost never happen but a few minutes in I'd wash the front wheel or something stupid and end up stopped out in the trees. They weren't huge mistakes but I'd make them in critical sections of the track and they added up to four, five, or six seconds on the clock. It was really frustrating, man, and I felt like I was handing out time all over the place. You can say that all you want though, it just sounds like an excuse, and people only see the end result and whatever few shots they happen to show online. A rider's thoughts of "If only I wouldn't have messed up I could have won", even though being sometimes true, don't mean a thing when you look at the results and you're out the back. But you know what, I did mess up, I made the mistakes, nobody else. Things don't always go as planned, and it definitely wasn't from a lack of effort or preparation from me or my team, I can promise you that. I had the bike, the equipment, the team, and I had the speed to win, but it just didn't come together. That's racing, and these guys are all extremely talented and driven, they throw it down when it counts and if you want to win you'd better have your stuff together. I've been on top before and I know what it takes to be back there now. I'm excited for the challenge. I don't know what the end result will be but I know I'll show up ready to race like I do every year and, if I ride to my potential, I'll be stoked. - Aaron Gwin http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb10499846/p5pb10499846.jpg
