Went on a streak of clearing every gap and feature that I’ve been wanting to hit (been riding for almost a year) and was having the time of my life. New bikes (2022 Norco Range C1, 2024 Turbo Kenevo, and 2018 Commencal Supreme V4)
Then had a stupid crash on a jump I’ve hit 100 times when my foot slipped off the pedal on the takeoff, fracturing my C4, C5, and C6. I had 3 jobs and now am off work for all 3 (I’m 17 about to graduate high school) and now am off the bike right when summer is beginning.
Is it worth getting back on the bike? Any of you guys had injuries that made you consider right again or not? Why or why not?
Personally I love the sport and want to get back into it but my girlfriend and mom don’t think it’s the best idea. Thoughts?
by fluent_ftw
44 Comments
Damn bro. That’s rough. Heal up fully and get back on dude.
Heal up buddy. This is a sport that can be done a lot of different ways, based on your risk comfort. When you get cycling again, you can make that call yourself.
It’s definitely a high risk sport though there are ways to mitigate risks.
Personally I stick to more cross country type riding. Minimal jumps, no gaps. Low traffic areas. Minimal trees.
Some of this is highly location dependent.
I’m sorry to hear that bro. I’m 43 and after 7+ surgeries (from cancer, not riding), I’ve decided that more casual XC type stuff is the best for me.
Talk to your doctor. If it’s something you enjoy and they give you the green light maybe take it a bit slower and look more towards technical climbs and less towards air. This is coming from a late 40s guy with plenty of metal holding parts together and too many orthopedists, but being on the bike keeps me moving (none of my injuries were from the bike).
DO NOT SLACK ON PT – get on that and give 120% every damn day. Until you’re better there are no off days. Your future self will be very happy you did, and there will be many days you won’t want to.
heal up then get back on the horse. Make sure you do all the rehab you need to do and then some more. dont stop when you start to get back to normal, make sure you get strong. you dont want to have niggling issues in the coming years cause you skimped on the rehab.
Sorry that happened. Hope you heal up quick.
If you want to still ride, I wouldn’t let it stop you.
Sounds like you’re expected to make a full recovery I hope? Did you walk out of there on your own?
If you are 17 and already working 3 jobs you are a hustler and clearly a “work hard/play hard” that is years ahead of his time. You will end up doing some adrenaline rush sport so might as well get back on the bike…only I’d play it slow for a year and ease up on the crazy shit that can set you back this far.
Fractured c5 and c6 a couple of years ago. Got riding after 3 months. May have been a little early but I had to. And I’m 37 years old. So it’s just up to you my friend.
Also, did you get the fusion surgery or just healing with time? I got the fusion so it may have been shorter recovery.
Ride with more gear on and I’d avoid going loco on the trails. You got lucky dude, you could be pushing your wheelchair with your mouth….
Sigh, I knew immediately when watching the video, before even reading your explanation that you were a relatively new rider. I wish we could get people with limited experience away from the idea that they should be trying to push jumps with high consequence.
I hope you’re healing up and feeling better. And I hope you keep on riding. The sport is amazing and you don’t need to be progressing to high consequence features to have an amazing time.
Edit: I should say that you were progressing really well for only a year of riding and that you should be proud of that. The issue is more that it’s easy to get overconfident on high consequence features and miss basic bike handling fundamentals when you’re new to riding.
heal up, brotha!
most experienced riders have some injuries and surgeries, myself included.
I appreciate riding more after not being able to, but I am more cautious after some surgeries. I still get after it, and still send the bigger jumps and features I’ve done, but I do so with caution.
you have a lot of years of riding ahead, so take care and learn from setbacks and, more than anything, try to prevent them.
Oof. You look like you’re shredding pretty good, too… Speedy recovery! As a mid-30s rider with a wife and child, I still ride plenty but those factors reflect it. I’m not interested in significant progression so much anymore, I just like to ride within my limits. Humbled myself last year when I crashed twice in a day, luckily walking away mostly unscathed.
We can’t tell you what to do, but you look like you have a promising MTB future if you think it’s worth it. Just gotta factor in the risk every time you ride.
Dude! We’ve all been there or near there. Here’s to a rapid recovery and getting back on that bike. I thought you were doing well until you weren’t.
I also broke my neck riding, in 2011. Same deal, but fused c4-c6 to stabilize the shifting vertebrae. Never stopped riding. Still lift weights and worked a very laborious career (Concrete finishing – only recently changed). The bad days with the neck are when I’m not doing anything.
Consult your doctor, do your PT. Navigate your recovery and assess. For me, I stopped DH and free riding and got more into enduro/trail style riding. I still hammer trails but say No to features. That’s my balance of continuing my enjoyment but not overexposing to another spinal injury.
Fuckkkk man. I have nothing to add, just wanted to send my blessings and a “good luck with recovery” bro 💙
There was a good bit of bombing downhill going on. Take it slower and ride forever. There’s no need to push to the edge or beyond your ability. Once you’re better, take a skills clinic and you’ll see how much technique you don’t know. Then build up from the basics again.
My guideline is, I can do stupid OR I can do dangerous, but won’t do dangerous AND stupid. If your dr. Oks getting back on it and you still enjoy it/feel ok, go for it and live your life. I broke vertebrae riding at 50 and my dr said he’d rather have me going for jumps and risk more breaks than to be sedentary. And that’s right for me. Now I’m 55 and I ride as much and aggressively as I ever have, push my limits with with more gear and when I’m in the zone, but also a lot better about only taking the calculated risks that are right for me.
This is a non-sequitur but that trail looks so fun
Nearly 40 I still ride, I just stay clear of riskier stuff like jumps these days. Not worth the potential injuries for me at this age (yes you can still get injured doing easy things, but it’s about reducing risks).
Damm, heal well and swiftly lil’bike brother.
Mate. I’m assuming you can still wiggle your toes? 110% get back on the bike. 111% adjust what you’re riding. It’s a super high risk sport, you’ve literally got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t fuck it up.
Speedy recovery, bud.
If you’re not getting paid to do it I’d probably not risk this kind of trail again. You can bike for fitness and do easier trails and still enjoy it without risking your life and worrying your wife
Focus on recovery and healing. Follow the physiotherapy steps, consult your doctor, and listen to your body.
You’re young and have a long future ahead. You don’t need to rush back onto the bike this summer. Tbh you’re lucky you’re going to be able to walk again after a broken neck. That’s about as bad as a crash can be, potentially life ending. Don’t take this lightly and don’t rush your body back.
I’ve had a close call or two in my time. A few on MTB and one on dirt bike. It’s a battle getting back onto the bike. Physically and then mentally as well. It’s worth also considering talking to a therapist, specifically a sport therapist if possible. It’s helpful for getting over the mental hurdle of facing challenging terrain and features again.
All that aside, it was sick riding. You were maybe over confident for the relative lack of experience, but every rider has different comfort zones. Provided your body can handle it, don’t let this keep you off the bike for good. But keep in mind you may need to alter your riding style and approach.
All the best in your recovery! Take care of yourself.
Dude f*** this type of mountain biking lol
Welcome to the broken spine gang. C7 myself. I didn’t get back on an actual mountain bike for about a year due to the stress and even now I don’t ride nearly as hard. Only you can decide what you do, unfortunately. In any case, do not skimp on the PT they assign to you. You’ll most likely develop some form of arthritis in your back if you dont(like me). Best of luck to you and be thankful you don’t have to drink out of a straw.
Personally… I think you should stop riding at least in the way you were before the accident. Fuck drops/ jumps. You were very close to being a quadriplegic, essentially the end of a recognizable future/ life.
Man that is a bad injury. Luckily the risk reward center of your brain will continue to mature as you heal, and you will probably take fewer chances after you heal up.
Crap… was looking so good too. Heal up soon man.
Sorry bro, heap up quick! Do the PT, take a skills clinic, take it slow.
Shit happens, cant give up what you love just because you got hurt.
I mean, you could get hurt just as bad slipping down the stairs, or in a car accident. I’m on crutches right now because I slipped in a parking lot and popped my knee.
I’ve had neck injuries, I wear a Leatt 5.5 neck brace when using a full face, and it sure seems to help when I hit the ground.
This is in no way judgement when I ask this, and it’s because I can’t completely tell from the video. Were you wearing a neck/back brace? I saw someone post a study the other day about them on here… Good luck with the recovery man, that is brutal. ICU nurse here, I’m glad you didn’t severely fuck yourself up. Echoing what others have said, don’t skimp on the PT. Do what they ask of you, and don’t half ass it there. You gotta full ass the PT.
I would recommend trying long distance cross country bike racing. It uses a lot of the skills from mountain biking on short travel full suspension rigs. Great speed and challenge without the risk of downhill. Heal up and head out.
This is a call for your surgeon, not a bunch of redditors who have no medical knowledge other than “crashes happen dude”. Did they have to screw those vertebrae together immobilizing a large portion of your neck? Do you know have much more limited and restricted mobility in your neck? If so instead of spreading the next crash across all the vertebrae the impact will be forced into the fewer pivot points with increased leverage against them making it more severe. Your next crash could be a spinal cord injury and put you in a wheel chair for life unable to do any activities you enjoy. Ask your surgeon
Well I’ve not damaged my spine mountain biking thank god, but I have fractured my pelvis, been concussed, smashed my knee up, dead leg for a month, right collarbone pinned surgery and very recently left collarbone pinned surgery.
I need my mountain biking for my fitness, fun and most of all my mental health. I get super depressed, anxious and close down, eat bad etc when I don’t get to ride.
I’d also say that after riding mountain bike, bmx and flatland, on and off for about 25-30 years, you have gained a lot of skill an progress for such a short time on mountain bikes compared to me.
But you should also concider your family with such a potential life changing or ending injury.
Maybe get back at it at a much more moderate level, build back up, get some wisdom as to gen to send it and when not to, and try to squash your ego a bit but without killing your confidence. Then buy a better helmet and a neck brace and chest armour so you up your survivability.
And always think about your future, all I really have is bikes, but you probably have way more going for you.
Tough decision, I hope your good long-term bro.
Now I’m well into my 40’s shit hurts way more.
I drove to work one day and man ran a red light. Then directly into my driver side door putting me in the icu for an over a week. It broke my L2 and bunch of other injuries, but I still drive to work. I’ve been doing dumb stuff on bikes some 1986 and have broken a bone or two and had more stitches than I can count. At 45 I won my first real downhill race Sunday and I have to say hell yeah it’s worth it!
This is almost a freak accident. How often do feet come off pedals? Do your pedals have the spikes?
This shouldn’t be an emotional decision. Follow your doctor’s advice. Period.
But if you ask me? Give it a rest. You’re *profoundly* lucky not to be paralyzed. Maybe take that as a sign.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!
Heal up, get back on the bike, and keep hitting jumps.
Get a neck brace if your gonna do that shit.
47. Been riding since i was 17 and fractured C6 and shit 2 discs out last year riding dirtbikes in the woods. Got surgery last september and got back on my mountainbike back in March maybe. I don’t even think about it unless my hand goes numb from the nerve injury. As for you getting back on it that’s all up to you, if nothing else gives the risk/reward satisfaction then you know the answer.
everyday you should be grateful that you can even walk after that crash, you should get back on the bike but reassess the kind of riding you want to do, im sure you can find a way to have fun without the risk
I separated my shoulder on a stupid crash and it took me a while to mentally recover from it, just take your time and get back to it at your own pace that makes you feel comfortable.
Glad I’m still hitting the trails as I love the sport.