Australian veteran Chad Reed has caused a bit of a stir in America with this comment in racerX. I tend to agree with him at some point, and for sure the last seven years of MXoN results prove that.

"I just think that the reason why I can still be here and still be competitive is because I love it and whatever, but beside that, there's no greatness out there, in my opinion. There's no Ricky, James, Jeremy, RV, Dunge, these kinds of guys. People are going to love and hate that answer, but I just don't see greatness. I really don't. I think that's why I want to come back.” 

While guys like Eli Tomac, Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen are brilliant riders, none of them have dominated an MXoN like Carmichael, Villopoto or even Ryan Dungey have done. I think had Roczen not been injured so badly, he would be easily legend status, but since that horrible arm injury he hasn’t been half the rider he was or was going to be.

As for Reed, while he won his major championship off the back of others being injured, his stats show that he was on many occasions on the same level as RC and Stewart, and has won a couple of MXoN motos in 2001 and 2011. To move to America and race the Americans on home soil is something not many can do, and his two AMA SX titles and AMA MX title show he did pretty well. Not to mention finishing second in the World in 2001 in Europe.

Love him or hate he, he talked the talk and walked to walk on many occasions.