Lee Witt

How does FOX contribute to your success?
FOX has been a HUGE building block in my career. I used to struggle with the way my bike handled and it hindered my performance. The guys at FOX are amazing to work with and we have been able to fine tune my suspension so it works great! This has helped me so much because I used to worry about how my bike would react when I raced. And now, I don't even give it a second thought!

Tell us about your bike/vehicle setup.
I have been blessed with an amazing bike this year! I have a 2010 Yamaha YZ450F that is completely done up. I have the FOX-PROTUNE Stage 2 forks, and PODIUM RC3 shocks, GYTR head, FMF pipe, Factory Effex bump seat kit and graphics, we use: Torco oil, Renthal bars and sprockets, Dunlop tires, and a Hinson clutch.

What else is in your garage?
Besides my motorcycles I have mountain bikes which I also love to ride, a big tool chest, and a workout station to keep in shape!

What's your training regimen?
Well, I can't expose ALL of my secret training techniques! But, I can say that along with practicing two to three times per week and racing on the weekends, I have an extremely intense mountain bike course that I do with pushups mixed in; I have a jump rope circuit I do with high explosive moves and strength training moves mixed in; and I do a lot of weight exercises that incorporate a lot of balance.

Any major injuries, and how did you recover?
Yeah, I have had a few pretty good injuries. The two major ones were my two broken legs. I broke them at separate times and both times I broke both the tibia and the fibula and the second time it was compound. I had to have a titanium rod put in both times and it took me about 8 months to recover from them. I have also had a couple of more minor ones compared to those first two. I broke my right foot twice, broke my collarbone, fractured some ribs, sprained my knee, and compressed a vertebrae in my back.

What's your typical pre-race/event meal? Guilty pleasure?
My typical pre-race meal I like in the morning is eggs, hash browns, and pancakes with butter, no syrup; and throughout the day I like to eat fruits and nuts. For my guilty pleasure, I'm not a big sweet eater, so I have to say any really good, fancy food. I like the real deal, good authentic cultural food like Mexican, Italian, and Greek food.

How do you determine which races or events to enter each year?
The races I decide to hit each year are the ones that will be building blocks in my career. I figure out what my goals will be each year and then I hit the races that will help prepare me for those goals.

What motivated you to get started professionally?
I just always thought racing looked cool! It looked like so much fun trying to beat everyone else and all the racers always had the nicest bikes, the nicest gear, and everyone liked them. I wanted to win and have all the nice equipment too!

What separates you from other professional athletes?
What separates me from other professional athletes is my dedication and willingness to persevere. It has been a very long tough road to get to where I am. It has been very hard emotionally and physically with different things that have happened throughout my career and I have almost quit a few times because of it. But I have pushed through (with God's help) and have overcame a lot. I am not the same person I was when I started racing. I have grown and stretched quite a bit, but I will NOT stop pushing until I reach my ultimate goal.

What would you be doing if you weren't a professional athlete?
If I wasn't a professional athlete I would want to do something in the moto or mountain biking industry and I also think investing is pretty cool too. Eventually I will create some business or system that will generate residual income so I have cash flow coming in each month without having to be there 100 percent of the time.

What's the best thing about being a professional athlete?
The best thing about being a professional athlete is that once you make it to this level, a lot of people look up to you.

What other sports are you interested in?
I LOVE to mountain bike and snowboard. I haven't snowboarded in the past couple of years which is kind of a bummer but I love carving down the mountain in some powdery, fluffy snow and hitting the jumps. Mountain biking is real fun too. I like All-Mountain riding, I like the workout you get climbing to the top of the hill and then your reward is hopefully some sweet, flowy, technical, downhill.

Any advice to the readers dreaming to turn pro?
Dedication and perseverance win every time. I don't even know where the people are I first started racing with, all of the people in the racing scene at that time are now gone. Anything in life that has any worth or lasting value will NOT be easy to reach; and when you settle for something, it is for something you usually didn't want in the first place. So, decide what you want, fight for it with every ounce of your being, don't ever settle, don't ever run from fear (when you face it you always grow stronger) and don't EVER give up because that is when you have permanently lost.

What are your favorite magazines and websites?
My favorite magazines are Transworld Motocross, Racer X, Mountainbike Action and the DuPont Registry. The websites I like are twmx, eBay, and Racer X.

Favorite movie quote?
"Killer boots man!" - Lloyd Christmas

Who is your hero?
My hero is my dad, Mike Witt. He is a passionate man and is convicted in what he believes and what he does. I have gained more wisdom from him on how to live my life and be a man, than from anyone else. He is a complete man. He is gentle and easy when it is time to be and he is strong and can go toe-to-toe with anyone if it calls for it. He doesn't have to put on a tough guy act because he is secure in himself. He has faced amazing opposition and circumstances that have scared him to no end; but he NEVER ran. He faced them head on, overcame them and grew as a person. He is one amazing man and I am blessed to have him as a father.

Are you a Mac or PC? Doesn't matter

Greatest strength Perseverance

Most frustrating challenge Overcoming myself