Posts
989
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Austin, TX
US
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 2:49pm
Basically I was injured a tremendous amount during my 20's roadracing motorcycles at an expert level. When I realized that I couldn't take it any more I switched to MX at the ripe old age of 33 (about 6 years ago) as a complete novice so as not to experience the same amount of injury. It worked! I broke my foot once MXing but otherwise I stayed healthy for years riding MX and I improved dramatically and really developed a deep passion for the sport riding often. Spending lots of money, time, and energy on the sport because it brings me a tremendous amount of satisfaction.
My speed and comfort on the MX bikes is so very good these days and I've been happy w/ my riding this year. To borrow from an old Suzuki advert, my KTM and I realy feel like one moving part. I rarely fall as well and when I do it's just a little rut or something.
Until this past Sunday when I got off pretty hard and broke my back. My legs temporarily went all tingly and that really is my greatest fear, way beyond simply dying. I spent a few days in the hospital and even became tremendously ill while in the hospital but now I'm back home and I feel better practically by the hour. In fact the doctors say I should have no long lasting pain or damage from this injury. Everything is lined up in my back and the discs etc were not damaged in any way. There is a bone spur now resting against my spinal cord, likely permanently, but it should be harmless.
I had agreed before this accident to my family, significant other, and to myself that if I was ever seriously injured again that I would retire from motorcycles permanently; and I really meant it as my body just can't stand any more abuse and I want to enjoy my old age. Then again I feel riding helps keep me 39 years young.
While in ICU I agreed 99.9% (the words I used) to my family's requests to sell everything and take up guitar or something.
Now I'm feeling those old urges again and already missing riding. Badly. The accident was only 7 days ago today!
What do I do? I'm so torn. Do I ride again? Riding slowly or on trails just isn't an option for me as I find those activities very boring.
Here is a photo of me just days ago when the 2 PT guys got me up and walking again.
Your opinion after similiar experiences are appreciated.
~Torn in Texas~
My speed and comfort on the MX bikes is so very good these days and I've been happy w/ my riding this year. To borrow from an old Suzuki advert, my KTM and I realy feel like one moving part. I rarely fall as well and when I do it's just a little rut or something.
Until this past Sunday when I got off pretty hard and broke my back. My legs temporarily went all tingly and that really is my greatest fear, way beyond simply dying. I spent a few days in the hospital and even became tremendously ill while in the hospital but now I'm back home and I feel better practically by the hour. In fact the doctors say I should have no long lasting pain or damage from this injury. Everything is lined up in my back and the discs etc were not damaged in any way. There is a bone spur now resting against my spinal cord, likely permanently, but it should be harmless.
I had agreed before this accident to my family, significant other, and to myself that if I was ever seriously injured again that I would retire from motorcycles permanently; and I really meant it as my body just can't stand any more abuse and I want to enjoy my old age. Then again I feel riding helps keep me 39 years young.
While in ICU I agreed 99.9% (the words I used) to my family's requests to sell everything and take up guitar or something.
Now I'm feeling those old urges again and already missing riding. Badly. The accident was only 7 days ago today!
What do I do? I'm so torn. Do I ride again? Riding slowly or on trails just isn't an option for me as I find those activities very boring.
Here is a photo of me just days ago when the 2 PT guys got me up and walking again.
Your opinion after similiar experiences are appreciated.
~Torn in Texas~
You will ride again, it's too fun to stop. Just ride in your comfort zone and you will be fine. I am close in age and still ride but rarely race due to time and work but mainly because I have no control over the actions of others on the track and have been hurt that way. When I just ride for fun and can still ride fast it's all up to me out there whether or not I crash.
BTW, my bro lives in Austin, you've been to the Salt Lick right?
Now I will tell you the same thing I tell alot of local people that know my son races MX. When they ask me , how do you let your son do that? "Its so dangerous and he could get hurt"
I tell them,
My other son is an easy going kid that has never done anything dangerous in his life. He dont ride and when he does anything it is by the book and his Mustang has probably never been over the speed limit but one day out of no where I had a Doctor tell me,
Your son has Lukemia. Long story short is that I almost lost my son to cancer so watching my other son go out and go fast on a dirt bike isnt as hard to watch anymore.
Enjoy life and ride because there are other things out there that can get you that you have no control over.
The Shop
There are no right answers but only opinions.
You made a promise to yourself and those close to you, even if using the cop-out of "99.9%"
It would seem as if you've used a good part of your mulligans on surviving the big one, though no one knows how many mulligans they get.
My suggestion is this, honor your 99.9% and take a long time off. Give your body and mind plenty of time to recover, because if you go riding now, that fear/concern will be there and we all know that's as dangerous as anything else.
Go skiing, wakeboarding, hiking, surfing or learn guitar. Try pushing your mind and body and set a goal of completing not only a triathlon, but an Ironman or maybe even just a marathon.
In a year or so, see how you feel about riding again as well as how those close to you feel about it.
There is no dishonor in retirement or extended time-outs.
Better to retire alive and kicking, than in a box or a chair.
We all come to our limit or end when it comes to riding or racing, maybe this is yours.
Take some time off to find out if this is your time.
and remember, no one can take your memories
If I was physically able and had a green light from a doctor I trusted ABSOLUTELY!
If it doesn't make sense don't do it, but if you are just worried about what might happen...that's a mental thing that you can work through by changing your thinking. For example, "Man, I would love to go riding, but if I crash...blah blah.
Change it to something more like, "I can't wait to go riding tomorrow, I've missed it so much and I'm lucky I still can." What you choose to think about is what you end up experiencing most of the time, so be careful what you think and say cuz you just might get it. If I could ride again I would decide what exactly what I wanted out of it and then stick to that. I hope this makes sense.
good luck
db
It's the next best thing and will keep you in shape. ( Try not to kill yourself at it though, you can still crash on a mountainbike. ) After two years ask your family if you can re-evaluate things.
Something to consider. How would you like to spend the rest of your life looking after your wife in a wheelchair just because she wanted to keep riding MX ... even after getting seriously hurt a few times?
maybe a quad but thats it. i have two daughter's and a son and all three ride. it's going to be hard because son and i were just sharing track time together and he's 8. so not being able to ride with him is going to be the hardest. but i love my family and i'm just going to have to find something else to do. we will still go to the desert and my kids love going to supercross,GP's,and th nationals. i like the idea of hiking,surfing, skiing or something else to focus on. i will never fall out of love with motocross. its just a dangerous sport. a lot of risk to it and the risk is just to much for me now. so from now on i'm a PRO spectator!!!!!
as far as work, i was the head foreman on a large government job. one guy doing the paper work and me in charge of 30 to 40 electricians. had a company truck and gas card. been out 12 weeks now. they dont want a guy on crutches on the job.going to the doctor's tomorrow hope for good news from him. don't know if i'm going to get the truck back and where they will start me at.... just more things to consider...
I broke my back racing. Family and friends all demanded I stop riding. I never sold any of the stuff. I waited, eased my way back and they got over it.
Tell them you may want to woods ride or something, then work back into your routine. Don't make any rash decisions.
I had another freind who was hurt badly and was in the hosptial for weeks with major injuries. He took off for months but very slowly got back riding. It took time, but his wife got over it also.
Best of luck with your recovery!
scars on my face. Next weekend will hopefully be my first trip back to the MX track in since
it happened,over 2 months ago.
I've been back on the MTB a few times since the wreck, but there is a Moto 8 on my head
when I do.
Pit Row
broke big toe twice (yea inside a proper mx boot) the right collar bone 5 times due to mx once from wrestling.
back injuries put my spine out of line (temporary scoliosis curvature of the spine) 3 times .
last bike i bought was valentines day 06 kx 250f when running it in leaning into a corner the suspension kicked up & the pain in my back was the sorest thing i've experienced i did,nt even come off the bike. ( my wife says if i,d have bought her flowers karma would have been kind to me !!!
the experts say years of wear & tear & the bone at the point the sciatic nerve comes out of the spine at the lower back has grown & is crushing this nerve this is the problem & back surgery is recommended
6 months off work (construction) & horror stories of surgeries that went wrong i slowly got better. i had,nt raced in 4 years until my nephew asked me to go to a race with him & race. i could,nt pass up the chance the track had 9 big jumps which i was going to do but maybe thankfully it rained all day so the jumps were out & survived the day with my kids enjoying the day immensely.
no matter what injury you suffer you will want to race maybe the back injury is,nt that far off
just started my road bike test , still not the same
wish you all the best in your dilemma suns-PSD
Heal up quick brother.
MX is like a drug, I don't think I can ever quit.
Good luck with your decision.
"one day you might get better and be able to hug me properly" it completely broke my heart and its crazy the little things you miss... that said i would prob ride tomorrow if i could and you could ride the rest of your life and never hurt yourself again
also something else to think about 3 months after i broke my neck my big sister got hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing and broke her c5 vertebrae luckily with no spinal damage but she'd be the safest person i know and has never done anything remotely dangerous (she's a big girls blouse) so you just never know
glad yer still with us...intact
Seems like a lot of guys coming from MX don't seem to notice the geometry change. I certainly had my own share of OTB adventures until I sat down and started thinking what is different between an MX bike and a mountain bike.
If you're going down steep or technical stuff ... or jumping ... the seat ( and your COG ) has to be lowered. It's simple geometry. High seat for going up, low seat for coming down. Nowadays there are so many remote seat droppers that it's a no-brainer. It has really made a huge difference in the sport.
But in general, unless you're racing DH events, most mtb crashes are low speed and far less serious than MX.
Post a reply to: I almost did the wheelchair thing 7 days ago but didn't. Do I ride again?