Out of the Blue | Anna Thiessen | Brought to You by Schrader’s

Out of the Blue | Anna Thiessen | Brought to You by Schrader’s

By Jensen Amyotte

Name: Anna Thiessen

Date of Birth: Dec 01, 1998

Hometown: Cuauhtemoc, Mexico 

Occupation: Apprentice Motorcycle Technician 

Race Number: 747

Bike: Honda CRF 250 R

Race Club: Future West Moto

Classes: Ladies, 250 C

Who/what inspired you to get into the sport of motocross and how long have you been racing/riding? 

It all started when I was living in Belize in 2018, the cheapest transportation option was an old Honda. I learned to ride that bike and it was my daily driver for the entire time I lived there. When I got back to Canada I knew I wanted another bike, something I could ride at the track. So I picked up a little Honda CRF150 and spent every weekend that summer going to new tracks and learning to ride motocross. 

When not on a dirt bike, how do you keep yourself busy? Are you involved in any other sports or extracurricular activities?

I spend a lot of time in the gym, I love lifting weights. Recently, I’ve really been getting into rock climbing too. 

From your first ride to where you are now what is something you never thought you would be able to overcome but have?

I was terrified of the starting gate and never thought I’d be lining up to race. Now I find it’s one of my favourite parts of the race. Nothing makes me feel as alive as I do at the starting gate. 

Do you have a pre-moto rituals? 

When I’m on the line I make a habit to do some deep breaths to set myself up for good breathwork during my moto. And I always slap my helmet before the gate drop. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

Still racing Motocross. I’d really like to race in Mexico in the coming years. Ideally, I’ll be a lot more comfortable in the woods too. 

What kind of dirt/track do you feel you excel at most and why?  

Hard-pack is my strong suit. I feel that learning to ride on dry Manitoba tracks (looking at you, Altona) helped me really excel on hard-pack. 

If you could give  piece of advice to a female of any age who wants to start riding what would it be? 

It’s okay to show up alone and scared. It’s okay to show up with your bike on a hitch carrier on your little car if you can’t afford a truck. It’s awesome that you’re doing this and you’re going to meet some of the raddest, most generous, and encouraging people. 

What was your first fear when you started riding and how did you overcome it? 

My first big fear was crashing off a jump. I overcame this by crashing off a jump. I had to do it to learn how I can protect myself during a fall and how to properly set up my bike to prevent these crashes from happening in the future. 

What was your first race number and how did you choose it? 

I chose 747 for the reason that it sounds cool. 

Do you see yourself ever competing in the Canadian WMX Triple Crown series? 

Yes, I am working towards being able to compete at that level. 

Who would you like to thank? 

I would like to thank River City Cycle, Glen specifically for taking me on as an apprentice and racer. A big thank you to Travis at TC Graphics for being one of my first sponsors and demonstrating so much faith in me as a racer.