Frid’Eh Update #10 | Keylan Meston Interview | Presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada

Frid’Eh Update #10 | Keylan Meston Interview | Presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #10 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada. It’s been a busy week or so for me and it’s not about to stop for another week or so, at least. Emily and I just arrived in Detroit this morning for Press Day at the Detroit Supercross at Ford Field in Downtown Motown.

We were at Club MX in Chesterfield, South Carolina, on Thursday and I was able to check in with a whole host of Canadian riders who are calling Club home for their pre-season preparations. Like I always say (read, “complain“) this trip to Daytona is a great one for content, it’s just finding time to do something with it all that presents the problem. Fortunately, I’ll have some time at home, starting on Sunday, so I’ll dig in and get everyone caught up on how everyone is looking and doing.

Keylan Meston is career #10. I always look forward to my conversations with the Calgary native because he doesn’t hold any punches and always finds a way to hit an angle I didn’t see coming. I like that.

He left the season early with some health issues (we talk about it) but here’s a look at Keylan’s 2021 Canadian Triple Crown season:

Here’s what Keylan had to say this week:

Direct Motocross: Hello, Keylan. You’ve been fighting a health issue and I was wondering if you could tell us how it was affecting you and what the situation is now for you. Have you got yourself all sorted out?

Keylan Meston: I was suffering some chronic immune suppression issues and at the time the only marker I had was really low white blood cells. The races were pretty damn tough, man, when a bone isn’t sticking out, you’re wondering why you suck so bad. It was a bit of a journey going through a few doctors, but in the end I found a great doctor named Corey Deacon with whom we did a podcast with on Bent Methods. Took a deep dive and got a full scope of my health.

In the end, it was a pretty severe staph infection and some bacteria issues in my gut. I learned a lot though and how the tiniest little detail can affect your health. For example, he sent me to a neck specialist to see if my neck and spine alignment was up to par as it can affect the blood flow to your brain.

It’s coming around, I would say I’m at 85%, a few final treatment protocols and I’ll be laughing!

Aside from that, you really seemed to nail your starts last summer! Were you doing something different and how would you sum up your 2021 season?

I love the starts. I have that confidence that I’m going to get it every time. I have a bit of a routine to get set up and I spend a good deal of time pre-season figuring out how the bike is going to deliver out of the gate. I need to translate that confidence a little more to the racing side.

What have you been doing since the season ended?

I didn’t do much, man. I was so sick that it just had me running on fumes physically, mentally and emotionally. But I got back to work in the fall and got some steam rolling again once I started making some gains with Corey. I took the reins on the business a couple times and allowed my parents to take some vacations which was awesome.

What are your pre-season training plans?

I am actually down in Cali with Maff (Shawn Maffenbeier) right now for the next month. I’ll head back home for work for another month or so and then maybe swing back down to Cali in May.

Can you tell us about your program for this upcoming 2022 season?

Just doing my own thing. I can’t say nothing but the best about MX101 and the opportunity I had there. I think the opportunity was there again this year, but just didn’t have what I needed to make it all work. To be honest, I just have not been having as much fun as I once did chasing the series.

Oddly, the person that inspired me to chase a different path is Cole Thompson. I respect and admire what he’s doing. The races he wants to hit and enjoy what makes him happy on a bike. I want that, man.

So, I’m going to run the west coast AMA Nationals and west Canadian Nationals and some off-road races. If I can sneak in some local MTB races and Spartan races then that would be a solid year for me.

You must be excited for the series to finally be going to the DORVA track in Drumheller, right?

Oh ya! It’s going to be awesome. I think what’s so great about the Canadian circuit is the diversity of tracks and this track will offer some great contrast. It’s so scenic, and depending on the weather and being exposed on top of a valley it’s a toss up of what kind of conditions we could get. We could get 3-foot deep tacky ruts and some methodical racing or it could be a day where you’re searching for traction. The layout is really unique, as well. It should be a fun event! The DORVA crew is itching to go and will pour their heart and soul into this race.

We’ve been joking around with Parker Eales and Shawn Maffenbeier about being at a crossroads. Can you tell us how your racing decisions came around for this upcoming season?

Life, brother! When I realized that this party could be coming to an end soon I recognized how much of an echo chamber we live in. I needed to shift the focus a little, it isn’t all about bikes anymore. I wanted to figure out how I could keep enjoying racing, prevent my old lady from saying, “It’s me or the bike” and making some transition into who I am away from moto. You dedicate your whole life to racing and attach your identity to it too. If you stop cold turkey, it could be a tough time navigating those “crossroads.”

Will you hit any races this spring before we head to Kamloops?

I won’t be at Kamloops as it’s the same weekend as Hangtown, but hopefully I’ll find some races to get ready for the first two AMA’s.

Well, thanks for catching up with us for Week #10. It sounds like you have a pretty exciting and enjoyable summer ahead of you. Good luck and who would you like to thank?

Brent Carlson, Dean Thompson, Sloane Tumbach, my parents, Cale Foster, Boston Calder, Bent Methods, Brad Hatt, Brad Peake, Ben Fooks, Davey Fraser, Shawn Maffenbeier, and my family and friends!

Good luck in 2022, Keylan. Anyone interested in supporting the Canadian as he hits races in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series is welcome to contact him on his Instagram page. I’m sure he’d make great use of the help.

I’ll get to work on some stuff from recent days ASAP, but we’ll leave this Update here as we need to hit the Duty Free and then get Emily home before coming back to Detroit in the morning.

Have a great weekend, everyone.