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Dale Earnhardt Jr is a man of many talents. Junior, a Hall of Fame inductee, has time and again shown some affinity for other sports which have come his way, like cycling. Apart from being a massive Washington Commanders fan, he has been a cycling enthusiast for quite some time.

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As he brings out another tale from his treasure chest of stories, Junior is reminded of the days when he used to go biking with former Hendrick Motorsports teammate and seven-time Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr admits he had to give his best when riding with Jimmie Johnson

In the latest episode of his podcast The Dale Jr Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr reminisced about his golden days of biking. He said, “I think my fastest ride, I always look at the average miles an hour. So it’s the average of the whole ride, and this one was 15.1. I went with Jimmie and the group at Phoenix, and I think 19 and a half was our average I think. That was my fastest ever.”

He boasted about its positive effect on his physical condition, as he reveals, “At the very end of the 2017 season, I was in peak biking condition.”

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As the conversation moves ahead, co-host and his long-time friend Mike Davis asks him to describe his biking buddies that would give him company on his two-wheeler ventures. Dale Jr claims that trying to keep up with them was indeed a tough ask. But when it comes to Johnson tagging along with them, it was a whole different story.

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Dale Jr said, “Man, they push you. My buddies that I ride with, I’m like yeah, y’all climb that hill, imma go my pace. But when you’re with Jimmie, you’re like ‘gotta keep up, it’s Jimmie!’

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In whatever field may it be, Jimmie and Junior have always pushed each other to bring out their best. Yet, the duo’s stories of biking together don’t end with that, as he has disclosed in previous editions of his podcast.

Dale Earnhardt Jr once got flipped off the bike by a stranger

In 2016, Jimmie Johnson gifted Dale Earnhardt Jr a bike to kick off their bond on the two-wheelers. But it took Junior quite some time to get cycling into his hectic schedule. Finally, when it did, it was an unforgettable one for him. In an episode of Junior’s podcast in 2017, he recollects fond memories of his time riding with Johnson at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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“I told Jimmie I said, ‘Look, I’m going to meet you outside the track. Ain’t no way in hell I’m going to let anybody see me ride through the infield wearing this biking-gear-spandex stuff.’ So anyways, I rode outside (and) pulled my bike out of the back of the Tahoe. Here comes Jimmie, Alan Gustafson, Kasey (Kahne). We all took off on a ride, and 16.7 miles we rode. Lot of fun, my first ride. It was a good time. I did get flipped off in the first five minutes.”

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The JR Motorsports co-owner would have wished for a better day at the speedway which did not include him getting knocked and not having to endure the spandex suit. He revealed, “So I’m shaking, and I’m all over the road. Jimmie and them are like six inches from the shoulder, and I’m like, ‘I can’t ride that close to the shoulder. I’m all over the place.’

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“And I’m wobbling all over the damn road, and this guy goes by and flips me off. I guess I kind of kicked him off. But anyway, I was surprised at how rude drivers are on the road.” Despite this incident, Junior didn’t give up on the pleasure of cycling alongside Johnson and his friends. This is the very reason why Dale Jr is among the most popular NASCAR drivers.

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Ansuman Abhisek

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Ansuman Abhisek is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Even before he made his way into the world of motorsports, he had already made a name for himself in the sports journalism field by working as a writer for a few media houses. Now, having covered multiple Cup races live, he has often been the first to report on-track incidents and also provide his readers with an in-depth analysis of the same. His well-researched stories have been received well by both fans and NASCAR drivers, like Natalie Decker. After covering numerous top trending stories on Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin, Ansuman has found his specialization. If you ask him, his favorite stories are the ones where he gets to talk about Dale Earnhardt Sr and his legendary tales.

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Priyank Mithani

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