Ep. #15 No Planes in the Sky: The Grounding of Team USA 2001

We Went Fast

We all remember where we were and what we were doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Beyond those chilling hours of trying to make sense of the news and horrific images it gets fuzzy.

This is a story about what the members of Team USA 2001 did on the morning of Sept. 11. How they reacted, where they went, what decisions they made. Or didn’t make.

It’s difficult to write a story about something that didn’t happen. Team USA didn’t go to Belgium for the 2001 Motocross of Nations. Heck, it’s hard to remember the story behind something that didn’t happen.

And that’s why I wrote a story about a team that didn’t go, about bikes that didn’t get ridden, about memories difficult to unpack. Telling stories isn’t always easy, especially when it’s something nobody really wants to remember.

Thank you to the 21 people interviewed for this and those who helped with the photo assets. Want to read the print story and see more of the photos of the Team USA bikes?

You can find that at this link.

Where were you on 9/11? Join the conversation in the comments below. And thanks for listening. If you value these stories and want to keep them coming, buy products straight from the shop at wewentfast.com/shop. We Went Fast is a small (like, 83 square feet) independent brand devoted to quality.

Or, join me at Patreon.com/wewentfast. Patreon helps an independent creator like me produce content you care about. From $3 to $25 a month, you can have a direct impact on what happens at We Went Fast. And I’ll reward you with some really great stuff.

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  Mike Brown’s 2001 Kawasaki KX125 for the Motocross of Nations – Simon Cudby Photo

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  Ricky Carmichael’s 2001 Honda CR250R for the Motocross of Nations – Simon Cudby Photo

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  Ricky Carmichael’s 2001 Honda CR250R for the Motocross of Nations – Simon Cudby Photo

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  Kevin Windham’s 2001 Suzuki RM250 for the Motocross of Nations – Simon Cudby Photo