For Eli Tomac, the foundation of his success isn’t built overnight, it comes from years of dedication, repetition, and a deep base of physical and mental conditioning. As he puts it: “My boot camp is my 15 years of base.” That kind of statement doesn’t just reflect confidence, it reflects accumulated experience, hundreds of hours spent training, riding, crashing, recovering, and coming back stronger. For a pro of his caliber, that base is everything. It means that when he heads into off-season races or does pre-season runs, he isn’t starting fresh. He’s carrying a legacy of muscle memory, endurance and race-craft that helps buffer the risk of fitness dips.
That long-term base gives him a sense of security: he’s “not worried about [his] fitness being affected from doing these off-season races.” It’s a bold stance.. for many athletes, off-season races or extra events come with the risk of overtraining, burnout, or even injury. But Tomac views them differently. Rather than seeing these as a potential drain, he treats them as a tool to sharpen his readiness. Thanks to his conditioning history and disciplined off-bike training regimen, which includes full-body workouts, cardio efforts like cycling, and rigorous recovery protocols — he’s confident he can handle the physical demand. This approach aligns with what many high-level motocross and supercross athletes do during pre-season to build endurance and resilience.
But it’s not just about fitness: racing off-season serves another purpose for Tomac, one of clarity. As he said: “Nothing jumps out at us that we need to work on, but that’s why we are doing these races.” In other words, by entering real events not just practice sessions, he can test himself, his body, and his machine under race conditions. That kind of real-world data is invaluable. No matter how prepared you are, practice doesn’t always reveal what needs adjustment. Race starts, gate drops, dust, pressure, technical jumps, those are things that push both rider and bike to their limits. So even in a season where he feels ready, those off-season races are a chance to refine and validate both rider readiness and bike setup. It’s a proactive, not reactive, mindset.
This dual approach — of relying on base conditioning while still using off-season races as a testing ground — reflects a mature philosophy. Through 15 years in professional motocross and supercross, Tomac has seen the cycles: off-season training, pre-season prep, race season, injuries, recovery, back to training. What’s remarkable is that even now, at a point where many might consider slowing down, he still chooses to push. He doesn’t rely solely on his past; he continues to demand more from himself. That speaks to a deeper mentality than just “I’ve been here before.” It’s the mindset of a racer who knows that at the highest levels, resting on laurels isn’t enough — constant evolution and testing still matter.
There’s also a measure of risk in this motocross and supercross aren’t gentle sports. Injuries are part of the reality for riders. But by maintaining top-notch fitness, and by using off-season races as a controlled environment for tuning and testing rather than blind intensity, Tomac mitigates some of those risks. His physical preparation, including high-altitude cardio training, gym conditioning, cross-training and disciplined recovery, helps minimize the long-term wear and tear.
In the end, Tomac’s attitude shows a rare blend of confidence and humility. He’s confident because his 15 years of base and experience give him stability. He’s humble because he isn’t complacent instead, every race, even in the off-season, becomes a chance to learn, adapt, and refine. Riding with that mindset and under a bike setup he trusts, he’s not only preserving his competitiveness, he’s signaling that he’s still striving, still pushing, and still willing to fine-tune every aspect.
As fans, we ought to appreciate this. For Tomac, “boot camp” isn’t a temporary workout phase. It’s a lifetime’s commitment to excellence. And as long as that remains his foundation, those off-season races aren’t just distractions or warm-ups, they’re strategic moves in a long game of mastery, longevity, and hopefully — more wins to come.
