Was at the race tonight and Eli cased directly in front of our section. I saw him pull to the side and slow down and thought maybe something broke on his bike. We now know he tore his Achilles, though, and I feel such intense sadness for him given the circumstances and context of this.
He looked set to win the race tonight or at least solidfy an insurmountable lead going to to SLC. And then probably race in the mx series which he hadn't planned on doing because he had such a great sx season. All of this obviously gone in a flash and this was likely his last race ever.
I'm not sure why I'm even making this post to be honest. I just feel so incredibly sad for Eli and feel like this was not the departure he deserved, especially with the incredible year he's had. The entire stadium was so happy for him and then it was... just gone. We all know the sport is unpredictable and there are no guarantees, but this was absolutely heartbreaking to watch happen and such an unfitting end for one of the all time greats.
I’m heartbroken bro!! Had a horrible death in the family so didn’t watch the race live. Just watched and all I can say is that I’m more gutted than I thought humanly possible this morning.
Was right there with you in SEC 108.
We all thought something happened to his suspension the way he pulled up.
Then learned by the announcer that he tore the Achilles. The way todays bikes soak so much up and the Gear these athletes have, How could a Top athlete Tear an Achilles without the aid of another bike T-Boning his ankle or something of that magnitude.
He was riding so smooth like he has done so many times before, with a 2 second lead he pulls up as if his bike blew the plug out.
I'm still in shock how this could happen.
Same I was in 107, thought he broke shifter or bent a peg possibly because he kept looking down...but it was worse. I'm still gutted, no words.
Eli was set to contest the nationals and SMX this year.
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Sexton gets a big asterisk beside his championship
God don't start that shit already
No he doesn’t.
No way. Everybody feels for tomac, but you can’t deny sexton the title. He was balls out fast all season long. Who would have thought he was the one to stay healthy whilst the field dropped around him ? To win the title you have to finish races. No asterisk required
Yea I get the whole you gotta be up there and contending and not trying to take it away from chase.
But this is so much like his 1st 250 sx title. 2 races left and the guy with all the wins does a ligament/tendon in there leg.
Chase has been fortunate 2 times.
What other titles has the leader been injured at the very end?
If this is the end, thanks for the memories Eli!
https://youtu.be/MnLeKcg29Dc
Yeah, he lucked into his first 250 championship (he’s admitted it), but you’re conveniently leaving out the fact that he won his second straight up against some pretty fast dudes.
I didn't mention his 2nd 250 title coz the championship leader didn't crash out.
I was pointing out the similarities.
And now you mention against some pretty fast dudes.
He only scraped home over mcelrath, with shimoda way back as a rookie followed by marchbanks, lopes and swoll.
That's actually a very week field.
Chase maybe has 1 250 mx overall.
When you look at his 250 career it's actually surprising how good he is racing the 450 these days. He is the top 450 rider now.
We're those new AStars boots he had on in the main? Were they different than regular tech10s. Seems odd the boot flexed
It's not over until Eli says it's over.
Hopefully he comes back next year and wins everything in sight.
Why, because he won 5 races and stayed healthy?
Sexton has been consistently the fastest all season. While he made plenty of mistakes, he also cleaned it up to become more consistent when it really mattered, meanwhile the others dropped around him.
No matter how tragic Tomac’s injury is, anybody who says Sexton’s championship comes with a big asterisk, is just is arsehole.
I hope he comes back too but recovery time for his injury is 6-12 months so probably would already be out for SX next year. That's a long time off the bike and a lot of ground lost on other riders. Sadly I think we've seen the last of Eli
Eli already looks to be recovering after surgery in Vail. He should go straight to the tattoo artist and get this.
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I did a quick search and about a million athletes are believed to have Achilles tendon injuries each year. They are injured and all sorts of ways, shit just happens, nothing or no one to blame.
So if Eli didn’t snap that tendon would there be an asterisk by his name because Webb got hurt and chase crashed and was docked points?
Eli was going to win the title regardless of who showed up or if they rode over their head and crashed. He was a deserving champion and even crashed a few times himself, but that’s racing.
No because he was the points leader. If you are 3rd in points and the 1st and 2nd place riders get hurt in freak accident in the last 2 rounds that is when the asterisk comes into play.
"Coming back stronger..."
Everyone has been constantly trying to retire Eli for the past 3 years. It's well known that he was already talking about 2024.
Just because you would call it a career doesn't mean he will.
Champions are different material.
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