When the 2012 Terex Australian Supercross Championships kicked off at Dubbo earlier this month, many were surprised not to see the familiar 122 of Dan Reardon lining up on the SX-Open grid with JDR/KTM Factory Racing.

MotoOnline.com.au called up the Queenslander today to find out why he isn’t doing supercross and to gather more information on his new company, Alteregoelite. For more on the business, visit them on Facebook by clicking here or be sure to search them on Instagram.

Dan Reardon will be a familiar face at the races for years to come with his new training and fitness business. Image: Grant Reynolds/FiftySix Clix.

Supercross has started now and initially we were expecting you to be behind the start gates there, I know you were looking forward to it, but that wasn’t the case at round one and won’t be for the reason of the season. Can you shed any light on that situation?

Everyone knew that I announced my retirement, that happened throughout the motocross series, and I was really looking forward to supercross. I believe I’m a really good supercross rider and it’s something I thoroughly enjoy.

I just wanted to go out in a good fashion, definitely be at the pointy end, and have a chance to say thanks, goodbye and the whole thing. But as you said, that definitely wasn’t the case.

I got a phone call from the team and they called me to say that they didn’t want me to ride, that there was no way I was actually riding supercross, and that was that.

So it was really disappointing, I was ready to ride and I wanted to ride. I was fit, healthy and everything. So yeah, really disappointing to have someone just tell you that they don’t want you to, and that’s that.

One thing that you have mentioned was that it was going to be one last series to be able to wrap it up for your fans, as well as yourself more than anything. It’s obviously disappointing for you not to be out there doing it for them as well as yourself one last series?

Yeah, exactly. I am doing it for myself, I’ve been in this sport for 20 years, so it’s been a long time. I’m just disappointed about the whole thing really, there is still people that didn’t realise I wasn’t racing supercross and I thought maybe there might have been a shred of light that maybe there was a chance.

But I guess what’s done is done and I’ve just had to watch from the sidelines. It was completely out of my control and I had nothing to do with it. So at the end of the day I’ve just got to suck it up and move on.

What it has done for you, I guess one positive, is that it has fast-forwarded your training career in a way. From what I’ve seen it all looks to be very positive at the moment, could you just shed some light on that and how it’s going so far?

I created a business called ‘Alteregoelite’, and it’s been going on for probably about five months at a really basic level. I still had to make sure I had time to myself for riding, and the preparation I was going to need for supercross. But now that I’m not riding I can focus on that a little but more, and work with some really great athletes.

I love having the dedication, I love being able to put time into people like Jake [Moss], [Luke] Wilson and [Sam] Duncanson. I love to see improvement and at the end of the day it puts a smile on my face to know that the guys that I help are improving in all aspects.

My outlook on fitness and training is not real tunnel vision, I believe there are so many great things about training and fitness that everybody can benefit from, that variety is the number one thing.

So with the athletes I look after, I make sure that they’re not just going to the gym three days a week, chest, shoulders, tris, legs. You know what I mean? Like those traditional sort of workouts?

I really try to expand on that and make it fun at the end of the day, because it doesn’t matter if you’re a highly motivated person, there is still days where you don’t want to do it. But so far so good, and I’m looking forward to next year being as a trainer rather than a rider.

Reardon will carry his wealth of skills and experience over to his new business venture. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

It was a really positive start with Jake Moss finishing on the podium in Dubbo, so what was it like to see him get up there? Was it a different type of reward?

It was, and it’s funny because when he’s out there riding, I feel like I’m going through the motions with him. When he’s out there riding doing practice, qualifying or his racing, it’s like I can feel I’m out there trying to help him along the way.

I’ve probably only been working with Jake for the last six or seven weeks and he’s shown massive improvement, especially with his training in the gym. His strength, conditioning and all-round fitness has improved a lot so hopefully we’ll just keep things going.

I’m confident that he’s happy and at the end of the day when he’s standing up there on the box or at the pointy end, it puts a smile on everyone’s faces. From the teams, the sponsors, the trainers, mums and dads, fans, the whole lot – everyone gets a kick out of it.

At the end of the day it makes me happy just to help somebody out, so yeah it’s been good!

Finally, you were pretty clear from the start that training was something you wanted to get into, I think it was July when we interviewed you last during the nationals straight after you announced your retirement. Does it feel good in a way that now the next part of your life is here, and you can really focus on it and take one step at a time trying to develop that future for yourself?

Yeah, for sure and I was nervous, I still am a little bit nervous about it. I’ve been an athlete my whole life and to now go to standing on the other side of the fence, you sort of have that I wonder how it’s going to play out and sort of feel.

But like I said in previous interviews, the training, fitness and that side of things was such a major part to my success. Having a trainer at such a young age, my first trainer was Andy Cunningham and I was 15 years old when he picked me up.

From then he kind of showed me the ropes when it comes to that whole element of that and you cannot be a professional athlete without that side of it, and it is a major part.

Throughout my other trainers I had throughout my career, I wouldn’t say that’s what I sell to people, but that’s what I tell them. It’s my experience I’ve had with some of the best trainers in the world, and that’s where I’ve got a lot of my information from and the stuff that I’ve been through myself.

I’ve had to read my books and do that stuff as well, but a lot of it just comes down to experience. At the end of the day I feel I know what works and I just want to give that to people as well, I want to give them a chance.

I definitely don’t think I would have accomplished what I accomplished on the bike, if it wasn’t for those guys helping me along the way.

Well best of luck with that venture, it looks like it’s all going very positively so far, so great job.

Yeah, thanks mate.