It’s totally possible to engage in mountain biking without getting hurt.
Riding groomed flow trails at low speeds, avoiding gap jumps, and keeping your distance
from other riders, is probably safer than driving an automobile to the trailhead.
With experience, you can even fall off your bike without so much as a bruise or scrape.
But if you take risks, and continue to do so, it’s only a matter of time before you
eat dirt.
So here I am, at least 10 weeks away from sitting on a bicycle again.
Many of you are in my exact situation, or have been at some point.
Some of you will be joining me in the coming weeks.
It sucks to be injured, not only because of the pain and discomfort but the lack of freedom.
Things that used to be easy, can be challenging.
Worse yet, you can’t go mountain biking to cope with it.
So while you’re broken and trying to heal, what can you do to stay sane?
Well for starters, you can finish off that helmet you crashed in.
Assuming you cracked or dented this helmet you’ll need to replace it.
That’s right, most helmets are only good for one crash.
We wouldn’t want someone to find your compromised helmet and use it to protect their head.
So finish the job, and post it to Instagram.
Assuming you’re able to walk around and sort of do stuff, you can work on your bike.
In fact you might want to give it a major overhaul since it won’t be in operation
for quite some time.
Even if you’ve been meaning to drop it off at your local shop, this is the most available
your bike will ever be.
And you can also use this time to give your gear a good going through.
Reorganize your hydration pack, and make sure you’re stocked with supplies.
Clean out your trunk.
Affix action camera mounts to your new helmet.
Make sure you’re prepared to hit the trails once you’re all healed up.
I think the main goal of all these activities is to be as productive as you safely can.
Mountain biking gives you a much needed feeling of accomplishment which you will now need
to obtain by other means.
Even if your injury is prohibitive, you can still check email, catch up with family, or
read an informative book.
Make whatever gains you can without putting yourself in danger.
Although family and friends may offer to wait on you, don’t let them do anything you can’t
do yourself.
Maintain whatever independence you have left.
There will be plenty of time to sit around.
If you’ve ever considered editing a video, now would be the time to try.
Maybe you have a bunch of action cam footage archived on your computer, or some clips on
your phone’s camera roll.
Why not put this footage to use and at the same time learn a new skill.
Most macs come with iMovie, and there are many free editors for Windows.
GoPro Studio isn’t a bad option either.
Best of all there are tutorials on YouTube for anything you need to do.
As someone who loves mountain biking, you probably love everything about it.
The social aspect, the outdoors, the scenery, the adventure.
So as you heal and regain your mobility, you can immerse yourself in mountain biking without
actually riding a bike.
If your legs are okay, hiking is one of the best ways to get a dosage of the outdoors.
In fact, I love hiking whether or not I’m injured.
In most cases you have way more hiking options than mountain biking, and it can give you
the same feeling of accomplishment and even adventure.
Enjoying some scenery and all the sound of the forest can be therapeutic, not to mention
good exercise which you could definitely use.
Assuming you aren’t taking too many pain meds, driving shuttle is way more fun than
it sounds.
You get to see your friends, bs with them in the car, and then pick them back up stoked
as ever.
Being in the company of a bunch of happy people on mountain bikes is contagious.
You’ll get to feed off their excitement as you drop them off, and share more joy with
them as they regale you with tales of their descent.
Shuttle day is an orchestra of fun, and you’re the conductor.
At the very least, you’re gonna get out of the house and have some laughs.
As you heal, you start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Being injured made you wiser.
All your gear is totally organized now, you learned to edit videos, and your friends are
having very conflicted feelings about you being hurt.
You probably got to spend a lot of quality time with your dog.
And your cat just had the best month of its life.
But before long, you’ll be ready to get back on your bike.
You’re out of practice, weaker, and probably excited to ride again.
You’re in your most vulnerable state, and primed for a brand new injury.
Take it slow, and work your way back up.
Time heals all, but it won’t if you try to rush things.
I’m very guilty of ignoring this advice myself.
If you are watching this with a broken wrist, sprained ankle, or anything else keeping you
off your bike, I hope you can find something to help you keep your head up.
Heal up, take it slow, and return a wiser mountain biker.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.