Last weekend, Travis Pastrana made one of hardest decisions of his life - he called it quits for the rest of the season and the MXDN. For a rider like Travis, who has an "all or nothing" attitude, the decision was difficult and emotional, but in the eyes of his family and team it was noble and wise.

With the support of mom and dad.

Though some people are quick to call him a "quitter," the physical demand the top riders go through to be the best is more than the casual spectator could ever imagine. Pastrana was running third when he pulled off the track and looked very good. But he said the pace he was setting was overwhelming for the condition of his body (he hasn't trained since the concussion at Unadilla). To finish off the season with a few top ten rides is not worth the time of a national championship caliber rider like Travis. At this point, fifth place will not win Travis a title and continuing to pursue the races without the proper preparation is hazardous to his own career and the other riders on the track.

"With all the injuries I've had lately, I wasn't able to train as much as I would have liked to. As good as I felt out there, at the halfway point I was physically exhausted. To run with the best of these guys, Brown, Langston and everyone else you have to be on top of your game.

"Had this happened at the beginning of the season I would have dropped off the pace right away. I might have been able to salvage a fifth place out of that moto but if that's the best I can do that's not how I want to end out my season.

"I'm going to go home, train hard, get healthy and get ready for next year. But I'll have to forfeit my spot on the Motocross des Nations Team and this has been one of the hardest decisions in my life. (Mike) Brown has been riding phenomenally and I think he will do a great job on the team.

"I've only practiced three times since Unadilla and that was almost two months ago. I feel real comfortable on the bike, it's like an extension of my body but it's really difficult to go out there and run the pace of these guys. Langston, Brown, all these guys are in such good shape that you have to be on top of you game to even have a chance. So, I'm going to go home, I'm not going to go out there and push myself and I'll come back ready for next year.

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