Stepping Out of the Pain With Gee Atherton

Jan 3, 2017
by Olly Forster  


RISK VERSUS REWARD



When your job involves racing a bicycle down the side of a mountain as fast as you can, finding a balance between risk and reward can be more than just a prerequisite for a successful career. These two factors may well be the cornerstones of professional downhill racing, with the careers of many young and aspiring racers cut prematurely short after underestimating one and focussing too much on the other.

Even the best of the best make miscalculations, with top riders in just about every category taking unintentional time off during a race season to recover and hopefully make a successful comeback after crashing. But at what point does an injury force a rider to take a step back, take stock and allow their bodies, and minds, to recover? Ultimately, it depends on the severity of the injury, but perhaps more importantly, their mental capacity to push through the pain and remain competitive after a comeback.

With no fewer than 50 World Cup podiums under his belt, including nine wins, two elite world championship titles, and two Red Bull Rampage podiums, Gee Atherton is a rider who really doesn’t need an introduction. But after a less than ‘Gee like’ season in 2016, absent from World Cup podiums and seemingly struggling to find the pace he’s known for, something wasn't right. We headed deep into the Welsh boonies and to Trek Factory Racing’s headquarters for a catch up with the man himself to find out what happened and gain some insight into the mindset of one of the world’s fastest racers...




Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


A slap into the race season

Rolling into 2016 on Trek's podium-smashing Session platform there was undoubtedly a lot of anticipation to see what the Atherton siblings could do on such a machine. With both Gee and Rachel fighting fit after a successful off-season spent training and preparing for the upcoming race season, all eyes were on Trek Factory Racing at round one of the UCI World Cup series in Lourdes, France. For Rachel, her season started much like it finished, but for Gee, he was slightly off the pace from the get-go. I say ‘slightly’ as he qualified third and finished seventh, only two places off the podium and five seconds off the win. But as far as Gee was concerned, seventh was never going to cut it. "It wasn’t what I wanted,” concedes Gee. "For me, it was a slap into the race season.”


Gee Atherton on his Trek Session Photo by Sterling Lorence
  Photo: Sterling Lorence.


A ‘slap’ perhaps, but one he’s had before, and something that years of racing had prepared him for. "You come in anticipating the speed at the start of the season and sometimes you’re there, sometimes you’re not, and sometimes you just slightly miscalculate it and it takes a race to just feel it and adjust your speed,” says Gee. Another variable that Gee had to factor in was his new bike. "When you’ve ridden a bike all year you know exactly what a race run feels like and how wild and lairy you have to get, but if it’s a new bike, you know it’s not that you can’t go that fast, it’s just knowing what that level is,” says Gee. “Lourdes wasn’t like, 'Shit, that’s as fast as I can go;' we just slightly misjudged it and we were off the pace."


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


After Lourdes, Gee’s focus was firmly set on a podium position at round two in Cairns, Australia, a venue that has been good to him in the past. Even after his win there in 2014, Gee’s not shy to admit that, “It’s not one of my favorite venues.” With an almighty sprint to the finish line that makes Pietermaritzburg look like Champéry, riders have to embrace the burn and dig deep, but in the weeks leading up to the race, Gee came down with a chest infection. “It felt like a strange race for me,” says Gee. “I didn’t have a bad run, and I just felt like I was below if you know what I mean.” Crossing the line in 22nd was far from the result Gee wanted or knew he was capable of, and one he wasn’t planning to repeat as the series continued on to Fort William, Scotland.


2014 s number 1 this time has his own flat shoes ready to go.
Photo Sven Martin
Photo: Sven Martin
Photo Sven Martin
Photo: Sven Martin


With a whole month between rounds two and three, Gee’s training and preparation went into overdrive. "We had some time to adjust and go into Fort William strong," says Gee. “We planned it well, did some testing, and with two races done we knew the speed and how hard we needed to push, and ultimately the level we needed to ramp things up to.”

With a BDS (British Downhill Series) round at Fort William just before the World Cup, and with many of the international top guns in attendance, the scene was set for a dry run. “I felt really good at the BDS, battling all week with Danny (Hart), swapping fastest times...he eventually pipped me to the post, but it was a great weekend of racing,” says Gee. With the BDS out of the way and the preparation done, one of the biggest races of the year soon came around and with it, sunshine, blue skies and 40,000 spectators eager to see a British rider take the win on Sunday.


Gee Atherton high on trackwalk life and soon looking to repeat his Fort Bill glory days of 2010 and 2013.


As the week unfolded and the weekend’s timed runs came in, Gee knew he had the pace to challenge for the win, which he confirmed on Saturday by winning qualifying. Sunday came around fast enough, and as the last man down the mountain, all eyes were on Gee. Exiting the start hurt at the top of Aonach Mor’s iconic race track and negotiating the faster upper portions of the track with relative ease, Gee slipped in a corner and hit the deck hard. "It was a good crash; it just came out of the blue and I really wasn’t ready for it,” says Gee.

bigquotesI set off strong and my top split was fast, but when I watched the replay I could see how I came out of this compression and my front wheel began to wander in the wrong direction. It was such a fast bit of track and I was down before I even knew what was going on. It really beat me up but I was lucky that I didn't break anything. - Gee Atherton.

Considering the speed at which Gee hit the deck and the severity of what he hit - rocks, and lots of them - he got back on his bike. “Although I knew it was all over, I carried on, and at first, I felt fine. But after a minute or so, I was like, 'shit, this is really starting to hurt,' and I could feel the pain building. When I got the bottom and the adrenaline wore off, I knew something wasn’t right.”

Fort William DH World Cup 2016 image
WE ARE LEGEND Fort William WC Finals 2016


Down but not out

With the fourth round of the World Cup series in Leogang, Austria, the following weekend another race was on, but this time it was to figure out what Gee had done to his shoulder. “I quickly got scanned and checked out by my medical team, but they weren’t really sure what I’d done because what the scans were showing and what I was feeling were two different things, so I was in a funny place, really,” says Gee. The doctor’s prognosis was that it was just bruising, and that Gee had damaged some of the soft tissues in his shoulder. Recovery times for soft tissue damage can be longer than broken bones, but Gee was still no closer to understanding the extent of the damage he’d sustained to his shoulder.

“I knew that over the days following Fort William something was up...I’ve been racing for a long time and have had my fair share of big crashes along the way, and I’ve raced in some pretty horrific states after crashing, but I’ve always found a way to step out of the pain. But this time I was like, 'Am I just not coping with the pain?' says Gee. “I know at the back of my mind that when I’m at the top of the hill the pain will be gone because you just want to race so badly and because I just love doing what I do. That adrenaline buzz can just power you through anything.”

Gee Atherton looks a practice footage to see where he can shave a few seconds.

While Gee’s experience and renowned physical condition have helped him ‘power through’ setbacks such as this in the past, this time it was different. “The problem with this injury was that it wasn’t just the pain, but that the pain had caused a weakness in my body,” confirms Gee. A weakness that would later be amplified by pain medication, but at this stage in the season, there was a lot to factor in, not least the amount of hard work that had been done in the off-season. If a medically invasive option was explored, recovery times would only increase. “We had some decisions to make after Fort William,” says Gee. “We could get some injections into the joint which could weaken it but they would also take the pain away. The other option was surgery so they could take a look inside and see what could be done.”

I wanted to talk to Gee about any possible pressure he was under from sponsors, especially new ones like Trek, looking for a return on their investment, or if Rachel’s destruction of the women’s field was weighing on his mind. “Not at all. Sitting here and talking about it, and in hindsight, you can reflect and see how much time and effort the whole team puts in to get you to the races. But during the season I didn’t care about any of that, I just wanted to race and put in the performances I knew I could and for me, that was the problem, and it was really burning me,” says Gee.

Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.

bigquotesI know that the sponsors will understand, after all, injuries are a huge part of our sport and I've been lucky to have never missed a World Cup due to injury. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't work with companies who didn't support their riders through thick and thin. - Gee Atherton.

Clearly in pain and getting bombarded with advice and options from his medical team, Gee had to dig deep in the days preceding Leogang. If the pressure to compete, given his circumstances, wasn’t from his sponsors then it was evidently coming from elsewhere. “You love the sport, you love the atmosphere, and you love being at the top of the hill about to show the world what you can do, and that’s why,” says Gee. “Year-after-year we come back for more, and for me that was the killer and the reason behind my decision to power through and do what I could to race. It ultimately boils down to just toughing it out.”


Powering through

Within days of crashing in Fort William Gee was back on another mountain, this time in Leogang for round four of the World Cup series. But Gee wasn’t having the best of times. “I kept telling myself that it will be fine and I can deal with it," says Gee, but it wasn’t until after his race run that his situation caught up with him. “I had this slightly overconfident mindset where you think you can just power through anything and that you’re going to be fine. It wasn’t until I struggled to put anything together in Leogang that I knew it was going to be an ongoing thing."


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


Struggling perhaps, but Gee’s 15th place finish in finals only proves his steadfast mindset, insane bike handling skills and ability to block out the pain. For many World Cup pros, this would be a result to be happy about, but not for Gee. "Obviously I was pissed off with 15th” confirms Gee. "It wasn’t where I wanted to be, but all things considered and looking back now, it guess it wasn’t too bad a result.” But it was enough to keep Gee in the game and off the surgeon’s table, although that didn’t mean that they could ignore the issues with Gee’s shoulder, far from it...

bigquotesWe were still in this funny place. We've got great access to this amazing medical team who short of opening me up and looking at my shoulder, delivered a prognosis that everything will be fine. By this time a few weeks had passed since the crash and things were getting worse. We had to figure out what to do next, be it rest up and chill on the couch, get in the gym and work through it, or have an operation. - Gee Atherton.


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


Two weeks after Leogang, Gee had more scans and meetings with his medical team, but the only conclusion which could be agreed upon was that if Gee wanted to race, he’d have to suck it up and offset any increase in discomfort with more steroid injections, issued straight into the damaged tissue in his shoulder. “Looking back, I probably could have done with taking six weeks off to rest and let it recover naturally, but at the time, it was hard to make that decision as I still felt competitive,” says Gee.

At this stage in our chat, I became very curious as to whether Gee would do anything differently if he could do it all again. “Maybe…I think,” says Gee. He’d clearly spent some time mulling this over, if not at the time, he certainly has since the season concluded. "Having an operation after Fort William, I’d have only missed one round and could have recovered and come back strong even if at the end of it we’d have the same overall result. But at the same time, with the options I had at the time, I wouldn’t have made that decision."


Gee Atherton is send mode... today he was just 5 seconds back which put him in 14th.
  Photo: Sven Martin.


It wasn’t long until Gee was back in the mix, this time in sunny Lenzerheide, Switzerland, for round five of the World Cup series. Gee would wrap this one up with yet another respectable 15th place finish, but Gee, of course, wanted more. 'My head was at full speed and chasing the podium, but my body just didn’t match up and was a certain percentage off,” says Gee.

Not only was he struggling to find harmony between his mental and physical state, he was similarly having to adapt his technique on the bike. These adjustments were just the tip of the iceberg of what Gee would have to do to soldier through the remainder of the season, which at this stage included two World Cups on two of the toughest courses of the year, the world championships on the roughest track in the world, and Hardline, which really doesn’t need an explanation. Given all this, Gee needed to catch a break, but that wasn’t to be, and after crashing hard the day after finals in Lenzerheide while doing some mid-season testing Gee aggravated his already battered shoulder. Things weren’t looking up.


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


Adapting to new challenges

With a few weeks between Lenzerheide and round six in Mont Saint Anne, Canada, Gee’s day-to-day activities remained unchanged. "It sounds stupid saying this now,” says Gee, “but I know how stubborn and over-confident I am during the race season...I just wanted to train and keep pushing through it." Gee’s training showed little compassion for his damaged shoulder, training hard both in the gym and on the bikes. But with some of the roughest tracks yet to come, Gee felt that proper preparation would be the only way he’d get through what lay ahead and hopefully get a result.

Racers and fans alike know that Mont Saint Anne doesn’t take prisoners. Consistently rough and physical, but to add salt to Gee wounds, the course used in 2016 was especially fast and inevitably as wild as ever. Mont Saint Anne is a track that requires a 'direct approach' which wasn't helping Gee one bit. "You know when there’s a rough, deep turn and you just want to dive into it and smash it, but instead, I was nursing the bike in and it was just really hard to attack,” says Gee.

Having to face constant reminders of an injury that wasn’t going away, Gee’s position on the bike began to change to compensate for his weaker shoulder. “I’ve seen photos where I’ve had my elbows in funny positions and I just looked wrong and weird,” says Gee. Even Gee’s sponsors were calling to ask what was happening and if he was okay, picking up on his new riding style from photos they’d seen online. “It was a subconscious thing that my position was changing,” says Gee.


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


Not only was his position on the bike changing, his bike was to, most notably his suspension set up, altering all the time in a bid to offset his weaker shoulder. “Those guys (Fox technicians) are amazing. I’d talk through the entire track and work on solutions to the problems I was having. They’re really patient and could easily have said, 'It’s your problem and you’re not riding properly,' but instead they go above and beyond to help alleviate the problems I was having." From a softer set up to help with the force of impacts through his arm and to his bad shoulder to a harder set up to keep the front end up and prevent it from diving. Gee’s bike set up was “jumping all over the place” but Gee also says, and rather unsurprisingly, that it was a tough time for his mechanics too.


Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.


After adopting this new position and making his once familiar bike feel increasingly alien, Gee crossed the line in a highly respectable 11th place. The significance of this result given all the issues ultimately kept Gee’s head in a positive place, even though his body was struggling to keep up. This balancing act between his body and mind exemplifies how mentally strong Gee’s character is; who knows what he would have done had bikes not been such a big part of his life. “I’d be racing something else, that’s for sure,” says Gee.

But I was interested to know where his head was, especially after an 11th place finish, which was pretty incredible. “I was still in a weird place as each round wasn’t bad enough to make me rethink things and take a step back. I was slightly missing it and it was almost as if I had this carrot dangled in front of me. If I’d done a round after my crash and finished 30th or 40th, I’d have thought, no, let’s regroup and start again.” Given all that happened and all that was in front of him, Gee’s eyes had never strayed from the prize and the push for a podium was still on. Unfortunately, Mont Saint Anne put one dream to bed. “I came to terms with the fact that a win that season just wasn’t going to happen, but I was still hungry for it and when you’re like that, it’s mad what you’ll do," says Gee.


On the home straight

For Gee, dealing with his shoulder injury became an everyday frustration regardless of his abilities to focus on the bigger picture and manage the pain. At the root of this, aside from saying goodbye to the possibility of a win in 2016, was something else we can all relate to; having fun on your bike. At the end of the day, professional downhill racers like Gee love to go out with their mates and mess around on their bikes just as much as the next rider. “I was thinking twice before going for a ride, which is really unusual,” says Gee. “Be it a day out in the hills on the trail bikes with the local crew, an afternoon moto session or out dirt jumping with Affy.”

Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.

It wasn’t long before Gee and the team found themselves in familiar territory and the final round of the World Cup series in Vallnord, Andorra. Having won here before, Gee knew what lay ahead, and even with his bad shoulder came in feeling strong. “I had that home straight feeling,” says Gee. A big fan of the track, Gee was looking forward to what lay ahead, but a big crash on the first day of practice put an end to his final chance for a World Cup podium in 2016. “Even before I was out of the dust and stood up, I knew I’d made my bad shoulder even worse," says Gee, who would go on to miss the remainder of practice to only roll out of the start hut for qualifying and forgo his run.

bigquotesOne minute Gee's sat on the sofa chilling and the next he's in his race kit and on the (turbo) trainer warming up for his race run... I wasn't surprised, after all, look at him, he's a bloody animal isn't he. - Dan Brown, Trek World Racing's team manager.


With his shoulder in an increasingly bad place and eager to avoid another crash with greater implications, Gee would spend the next 24-hours making his mind up whether or not to race. “I decided not to do it about a hundred times. Even if someone could have fixed my shoulder right there and then, I’d only completed two and a half practice runs all week and the track was changing all the time.” From taking a massive crash, missing nearly all of practice and more steroid injections in his battered shoulder, Gee decided to race. "The thing that swung it for me was all the fans who were coming up and saying good luck and that they couldn’t wait to see me race. At this point, we hadn’t publicized my injury or how bad it really was. It was such a good crowd and such a good atmosphere and all these amazing people had made all this effort to come to the track and watch us race...”

Photo Sven Martin
  Photo: Sven Martin.

With this in mind, I was curious to know if Gee feels a sense of pressure from the fans, and if it was something he ever struggled to cope with given the task at hand, especially during a season such as this one. Gee, as ever, is focused on one thing and one thing only, winning, and says he doesn’t feel affected by the fans' presence, but more so that he feeds off their excitement and positive energy. Gee’s take on World Cup racing is that it’s a show and everyone plays a role. "You feel like you need to keep your side of the deal. They’ve (the fans) come all this way to watch and it’s catchy," says Gee, but he was similarly under no illusion as to the task he’d decided to undertake. “I was pretty nervous, to be honest,” referring to the beast that is the Vallnord World Cup track.

Gee crossed the line in 60th, twenty back from last and his worst result by some way that season, but that would not take anything away from the elation Gee had after getting down in one piece. "It was so gnarly, I was buzzing...just so stoked to make it down.” With the 2016 World Cup series done, dusted and in the history books, Gee’s attention swung to the two remaining events of the year; World Champs in Val di Sole, Italy and Hardline. One brutally savage and the other quite possibly the most progressive downhill racetrack ever constructed. Easy...


Rock, paper, scissors

Making the selection criteria for Team GB at the downhill world championships is no mean feat with so many top riders heralding from the UK. Gee made the team for 2016 having won twice here in the past and was determined to test the waters before confirming if he could race or not, “I was sore, but I could still ride and felt balanced on the bike,” says Gee. At the top of the mountain and staring down at the monster below, it was time, but, “as soon as I dropped into the first steep chute, I wished I hadn’t," says Gee. “From this point on the track was brutal. I was nursing my way down with a queue of riders behind me…it wasn’t good.”


Gee Atherton is gutted to have had to make the call not to race here in Val di Sole due to his injured shoulder first tweaked in Fort William some 3 months ago. Bernard Kerr will now step up to the gate with his first practice session tomorrow.


Bowing out and giving the green light to wildcard and wild child, Bernard Kerr, was an easy decision for Gee. “I was stoked that Bernard could take it on and make the most of it...it was pretty awesome to see him come down and kill it, but at the same time, it was a weird experience for me, having never been in this position before.” Gee for the first time ever had to stand on the sidelines and watch; ”It was great to see another side to the sport, as a spectator and witness the build up and the excitement.”


Gee comes to this weekend with a big smile on his face. He s still need not stepped on top of the podium here yet but he s up for a good race. That s for sure


All that remained was Hardline. Granted, there was the Red Bull Fox Hunt, an annual event, and one that Gee doesn’t class as a ‘race’ and more a weekend away in Ireland messing around on bikes and drinking beer, and of course the matter of fixing his shoulder. At this point in the season, Gee conceded to the reality. “...I was beat!” From the Italian Dolomites to the rugged demeanor of Dinas Mawddwy in the North Wales, Hardline was literally the following weekend. “I really wanted to do Hardline as I knew how much work the boys had put in, but the tough thing about Hardline was that someone had to test it all before the race and pre-run everything to make sure it worked," says Gee.




After successfully testing the track and completing a few runs, disaster struck. On the morning of finals, Gee crashed, once again aggravating his already severely weakened shoulder. At this stage, word was getting out that Gee had been in the hurt locker for most of the season so I had to know, was he having second thoughts? “Yeah, 100%! By this point, there’d already been a few bad injuries and there was a feeling of nervousness from all the riders. The track was hard work.” Gee would go on to skip qualifying.


Gee took another big digger in practice unfortunately hurting his shoulder just one more time. Determined to finally put in a finals run here at Hardline he trucked on and came less than a second off the podium.


Once again, spurred on by the energy of the event, his brother’s hard work and the desire to ride the most progressive track out there, Gee got ready for finals. But not before taking something for the pain: a few painkillers and more steroid injections later and Gee was ready, or so he thought. “I felt dizzy and probably shouldn’t have gone up the mountain,” says Gee. On his race run, Gee’s strategy was simply to have a ‘clean run’, which at Hardline, is no small feat. Gee once again had to factor in his weak shoulder, constantly adjusting his position and shifting his body weight over the huge drops to compensate. With the race over and Gee safely across the finish line in one piece, it was time to go have “a good crack” in Ireland for Fox Hunt and get back to the doctors to get his shoulder fixed.


For the love of it

After a number of MRI scans following his crash in Fort William and with a lack of any conclusive signs as to the true nature of Gee’s injury, his medical team brought out the big guns. This would come in the shape of an MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiogram) scan that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body. The scan duly delivered; Gee had torn his rotator cuff. With a few options available, Gee chose one that would work with his training plan for 2017, giving him nearly two months and the holidays to recover after surgery. Talking to Gee in early December 2016, with his arm still in a sling and recovering after surgery, I was curious to know, given the slams he's endured and the achievements he's already racked up, why he's still pushing as hard as ever. "Everything boils down to how much you love it and that really sways your decision," says Gee.


A video posted by RemDawg (@remymorton) on



Understanding the risks and the implications of ignoring them must be hard to get your head around, especially when you're still coming through the ranks. "Without exception, there’s an injury point for every rider and the inevitable dip in results that follows,” says Gee. But this is the tough reality of professional sports, and like any job, it's something which you will inevitably master with a bit of luck and time. "The longer you race, the better you are at dealing with the variables and assessing the balancing point between risk and reward.”

While many of us will never get remotely close to a World Cup podium, the parallels between a pro rider and a weekend warrior are stark given that we all have to deal with the inevitability of crashing and the consequences which follow. How we deal with these setbacks will undoubtedly shape who we are, both off and on the bike. Granted, Gee's an athlete at the top of the sport with the support to match, but there's a lot we can all take from his 2016 season, be it remaining positive, getting the job done or perhaps, more importantly, not losing sight of the real reason why we all ride bikes.




MENTIONS: @trekfactoryracingdh / @trek / @foxracingshox / @shimano / @BellBikeHelmets / @iXSsports / @oakley / @redbullbike / @ollyforster / @natedh9 / @lunatyk



Author Info:
ollyforster avatar

Member since Jun 8, 2005
78 articles

160 Comments
  • 282 8
 I know that a lot of people see him as a robot but he is without a doubt my favourite DH rider, he was such a friendly guy when I got to meet him. Heal up soon dude
  • 82 5
 exactly what I think! Gee's the man! such a rad dude and just as crazy as the rat or everyone else on the circus. but just extremely focused and determined. have a good season mate!
  • 42 255
flag EvoRidge (Jan 3, 2017 at 3:51) (Below Threshold)
 Synthetic medication, too bad Mr. Gee Atherton. Could have properly healed those torn ligaments and bone bruises (still can) with plant/medicinal mushroom food [medication]! Tinctures of Solomon's seal root, comfrey leaf, comfrey root, st. johns wort, full plant CBD spagyrik tincture or CBD CO2 oil extract and Gotu kola just for a solid starting point.
These medicines, once in extracted tincture form, go well along with DMSO (for your own sake, look up the astounding benefits of this strong wood pulp tree medicine extract) to safely dissolve it topically into anywhere you rub it on your body. Isolates the potent healing properties of the extracts through the solvent qualities of DMSO to go into your body. DMSO easily passes the blood brain barrier making it an excellent carrier for other medicines you dissolve into it.

Consuming things like bone broth soup serums, drinking 36-72oz's of fresh/raw/organic greenjuice drinks daily, floating in an isolation deprivation tank 3-5 times/week to re-calibrate your body's balance, consuming heated&oiled/alcohol extracted medicinal mushrooms [reishi, cordyceps, lions mane, turkey tails, chaga], shots of braggs apple cider vinegar everyday, fresh clean and safe water source, flame lit acupuncture weekly sessions, cupping reiki, cryo freeze center therapy sessions, psychedelic mushroom therapy for brain injuries (there, I said it), MORE fresh fruit and leafy green vegetable consumption as 80%+ of your diet (avocados are rad, thai coconuts got the meat), MORE raw soaked nuts&seeds for gainful energy (shoutout to hemp seeds for being more protein/amino acid dense/complete than meat AND animal products, YEEW!), virgin coconut oil is life, coconut/almond yogurt gorilla milk for gainz--

GEE, why are you letting the medical mafia and dudes with clip boards takeover your health? You only get one body, can't be replaced. Treat that bike right, son. Go eat yer fruits n veg. Soak your nuts n' seeds, eat fermented foods other than just drinking beers.

Bless up from coloRADo
  • 106 2
 @EvoRidge: dude where's your dealer? I want same stuff as you
  • 74 8
 @EvoRidge: This is all absolute bollocks, rather dangerous bollocks at that...
  • 119 3
 @EvoRidge: Do you know what they call alternative medicine that's been proven to work?...Medicine
  • 34 88
flag robdpzero (Jan 3, 2017 at 5:15) (Below Threshold)
 @EvoRidge: i believe in most of that stuff too, unfortunately pinkbike is mostly made up of meat eaters & they are blind to the plant based diet except for wakidesigns. tho i'd swap out st. john's wort for mike mahlers restorezyme (systemic enzyme supplement to speed up muscle recovery).
  • 12 2
 @timsim07: Tim Minchin? Good man
  • 20 65
flag ulissesportela (Jan 3, 2017 at 6:55) (Below Threshold)
 @EvoRidge: I agree with you 100% and as you most likely know, everyone who doesn't understand this Medicine probably has no clue how brain washed we've been by the pharmaceutical industry.
  • 74 1
 @EvoRidge: do you understand what happened? Do you understand what a rotator cuff is? I'm sure he eats
extremely well being he is a professional athlete. Even if he ate everything you say helps.....it won't magically keep a rotator cuff from tearing due to an injury. That's like saying if I drink a lot of milk and jump off a 5 story building my legs won't break.
  • 5 0
 hasta la vista baby
  • 33 2
 @tblore: Bro, just apply some fermented, free-range mushroom paste liberally to the area for a torn rotator cuff and it will be healed......in 6 months.
  • 5 0
 @bvd453: Haha that's what I've been doing wrong all these years
  • 40 18
 @robdpzero: You know what heals a motherf*cker up? Bacon. f*ck yo shrubbery.
  • 9 0
 @evoridge, psychedelic mushroom therapy, well that explains a lot, sorry but some injuries just need surgery,
  • 2 5
 @mark3: And some people just need a lobotomy! lol
  • 27 31
flag EvoRidge (Jan 3, 2017 at 13:04) (Below Threshold)
 Surgery yes! Healing and regeneration with steroid injections and still ripping your bike on hardline? Not so much

@robdpzero:
TRUTH seeker. I like how you got -30 downvotes for partially agreeing with me. Continue on your path of light energy, brother!

@ulissesportela: Much love brotha man! We will stay healthy, hydrated and happy! Feelin well!

@tblore: Look up the immense tissue regeneration properties of consuming Solomon's seal tinctures regularly w/DMSO as well as drinking high volume therapeutic doses of fresh/raw&organic greenjuice drinks. Staying raw and allowing time to heal while you're intensive medicine therapies are underway WILL dramatically improve damaged/broken/oxidized cells in your body. Add in a FIERCE physical therapy regimen (Paul Basagoitia esk training intensity here) and ANYTHING is possible to regenerate. FEEL ME

thanks for 100+ down votes yall! Continue to suppress an open opinion that frightens your lifestyle religions.


Peace
  • 22 27
flag EvoRidge (Jan 3, 2017 at 13:18) (Below Threshold)
 @Gorran: Not dangerous at all. Research and apply these medicines to your lifestyle like humanity has been doing for hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of years.

Plants, you scared Gorran? What's so scary about juicing raw cannabis leaves? Full plant CBD/THC extracts from cannabis actually restore and heal bone fractures very fast. SOURCES: tinyurl.com/cannabis-bonefractures --also check-- tinyurl.com/cannabis-Bonebreaks (awesome source of info)

Mushrooms DO help brain function and healing from injury: [sauce]
"A new study by The University of South Florida has found that low doses of the active ingredient in magic mushrooms repairs brain damage caused by extreme trauma, offering renewed hope to millions of sufferers of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The results were striking: Not only could psilocybin, the main active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, help them get over their fear, it promoted cell growth and regeneration in their brains."

Mushrooms help w/clinical depression as well
"Hallucinogens activate a serotonin receptor that can lead to the alterations of consciousness reported routinely.
One theory is that psilocybin interrupts the circuitry of self-absorbed thinking that is so pronounced in depressed people, making way for a mystical experience of selfless unity."
tinyurl.com/NY-times-Mushrooms

Divine and in line with the holy sunshine. Ride fast, take chances.

Stay wet

~Dan K.
Crested Butte, Colorado
  • 11 6
 Watch out "sheeple" it looks like we need to be "woke" by the all knowing @EvoRidge ahahah
  • 13 13
 @ZachZ77: Never even insinuated or played to that ego--just spreading word on some powerful, highly effective and safe plant medicines that everyone should be made aware of. I'll have to write up a proper article on it so all of you can critique it properly.

Peace, stay woke
  • 13 1
 You can have a lot of fun on a bike, and these guys all do, but if you want to perform at a consistently high level you need some of that "robot". Also, not everyone is a super-outgoing personality; some are really good at riding bikes but would rather be left alone. The pros like Gee and Semenuk learn to accommodate the attention off the bike, but that doesn't mean they'll ever be naturals like Yoann Barelli or Tippie.
  • 15 0
 @EvoRidge: As someone that has personally had 5 surgeries I agree that surgery sucks and recovery and down time can be frustrating. I respect your calmness despite being downvoted tremendously. So my question is this: Gee being a pro athlete, he will have access to superior care from probably some of the best physicians in his country. Shouldn't he take advantage of that? Perhaps you are correct in that with time and a correct diet it will heal itself. However there are amazing arthroscopic techniques to fix a torn rotator cuff. No doubt Gee was treated exceptionally well as he is a literal money making machine and a great rider. To ignore the technology that's available today when each month is carefully planned out for a professional athlete would be foolish. Take NFL players for example, they get the crap beat out them regularly, torn Rotator cuffs, broken bones, messed up knees. They have surgery, recover, play again just as good as before. Granted they might be messed up during old age but most of us will be more or less depending how we treat ourselves. It seems the best answer to me would be to do both. Surgery and a great diet. The best of both worlds. Especially if something can fix a torn/broken part of your body. Either way we will all be comparing scars when we are in our 80s
  • 2 2
 @EvoRidge: Ride safe bro
????????
  • 16 4
 @jodek: than man is saying to try eating healthy food and try alternative procedures.
And gets neg repped to death.
What did his sports doctor do?
Sorry i dont know whats wrong but lets inject steroids into you.
Western medicen is about profits.and nothing else.
  • 6 5
 @Sshredder: Steroids must be pretty bloody good because Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong, etc etc didn't take mushroom paste in order to win at all costs.
  • 6 2
 @iamamodel: Read the story. His doctor did not know what was wrong with him and then injected him with steroids. I would have got a new doctor.
How long did it take to diagnose the torn rotator ? Six months?
Steroids are very dangerous and should only be used in rare situations. Not to stop pain from an un known injury!
  • 2 0
 @therealtylerdurden: More like therealmarcelluswallace the way your comment reads. Love it!
  • 6 0
 @Sshredder: @Sshredder: That just isn't the case - I work in the healthcare/pharma industry and, yes, there are some bad apples who unfortunately paint a really negative picture of the entire pharma landscape, like Martin Shkreli, and the Mylan fiasco. But to judge an entire community based on the actions of a few is dangerous. There are many hardworking, caring, and incredibly intelligent folks who work in this industry who are dedicated to finding bio-solutions to some of the most complex conditions/morbidities known to man. For example, the pharma industry is dumping billions - literally - billions of dollars into Alzheimer's research. is that partially because there would be potential for a solid profit margin with such an investment? Of course. But it will also advance medicine as a whole, and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. Don't like that example? Look at immuno-therapies - one of the most brilliant advances in medical history - was created by "big pharma." It has improved the lives of people with late stage cancer, genetic disorders, etc. We live in a capitalist country. These organizations need to make a profit to stay afloat. Eli Lilly put billions of dollars into their Alz drug and it failed in testing, and all of that research was for naught. Without being a for-profit organization, they would never take the risk of investing in that type of research. My point is, pharma is not evil. Sure, there are some issues with healthcare as a whole, but pretending that modern medicine is ineffective and only for the benefit of "a few" is downright dangerous and disrespectful to those who make their living in the healthcare realm, like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, biochemists, etc. By all means, try your natural remedies; they are actually often prescribed as a co-treatment alongside a drug/procedure by many DOs/MDs. But when it comes down to it, surgery was the right decision for Gee, and to question the decision made by him and his medical staff for his body is baffling.
  • 3 1
 @EvoRidge: You are and interesting dude. I tore an ACL and split my calcaneus last year due to riding beyond my abilities. No amount of alt medicine would have healed me. I was happy to have surgeons and Western medication. Without that help I would be crippled for life and riding a Jazzy Scooter instead of a bike. I have no problem with alt medication during the healing process but I absolutely love my doctors. Best preventative measure for me going forward is to stay on my damn bike.
  • 1 0
 @Sshredder: dono myself and a lot of people I know get that injection haha its not really "steroids" as such, it just covers up the pain and mine still isn't fully diagnosed after 4years and multiple drs. js
  • 7 2
 @EvoRidge: Man I'm glad to see someone else as crazy as me. I don't have medical insurance and tore my rotator cuff almost identically to Gee. It took a LONG time, and their were some set backs along the way, several months of basically no activity, and a year+ of no riding. But using a very similar plant based protocol that you mentioned (with the addition of pulsed electro magnetic frequency @9.6hz) I'm back riding without surgery or western based medicine. Let me know if you do write an article and consolidate your info, very interested! Plant power, brother.
  • 2 2
 @Sshredder: Much respect--Bless up!

@kamsbry: Western medicine is awesome for serious, acute injuries. Broken leg? better get that plated up and aligned properly. Ripped/torn soft tissue? That needs seriously strong plant medication. We all need more plant medicines to heal our damaged cells.

@dinero: Hell yeah brother! Appreciate your journey and all you struggle and strive toward. Keep healthy!

Love all of you so so much.

Bye for now
  • 5 6
 Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha fuckin hippies
  • 4 2
 @EvoRidge: I'm a doctorally educated PT who unfortunately have had my fair share of injuries requiring surgery. Sometimes surgery is the only way (such as full thickness tears of the cuff). I agree with your nutritional suggestions however. Maintaining a strong immune system is huge. It's the difference between being inflamed after training/rehab and feeling great. I would adamently agree with the bone broth assertion. I make beef lamb and chicken broth regularly. It made all the difference in my recoveries.
  • 3 2
 @dirtbagluvin: Appreciate you

powerful!
  • 3 0
 @therealtylerdurden: heals them up by causing heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis. Good one.
  • 1 0
 @wiggles-1998: the concerns over nitrites and nitrates are unsubstantiated- not to mention that there's bacon that's cured without preservatives.

A proper diet will generally be about 30% calories from fat, with 10% each from saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. A well rounded diet with proper macro ratios means that bacon, in moderation as with all things, ain't gonna hurt ya.

As far as the cancer claim goes, according to the state of California, EVERYTHING causes cancer. Death is inevitable, so why tf not enjoy life? Not like mountain biking is totally risk free either...

And osteoporosis? Where in the actual f*ck did you pull that claim from? Really, I wanna know.
  • 143 2
 Last season I started to form a negative opinion of Gee. He looked weak on the bike and he wasn't really riding with the hunger that had made him so successful. To be honest, I was pleased when he pulled out of the World Cup and Kerr got a run. And, then you read this, and find out that he was completely overwhelmed by injury but never once complained or withdrew an inch of effort. What a hard man and an admirable character. I'm full of respect for him after reading this article. Gee, I hope you heal up well and feel strong again soon. I hope this new year brings you contentment, both on the bike and in life.
  • 48 0
 Stepping aside to give Kerr the opportunity was pure class.
  • 13 0
 Gee is just a great competitor and a class act. Such an animal getting these results under this conditions...
  • 80 10
 I find it natural for human beings to have a shallow view on other human beings, in a way that a known person can be perceived as a hero one day and a zero the day after. And that's an obvious way of looking at things. The less obvious perspective is being revealed when the opposite mechanism happens: when zero becomes a hero. We tend to see it as perfectly normal, we cheer and do all the sht. That's the duality of worship and contempt. But the singularity lies in reality. And reality is that Gee and each single one of us, is a slowly growing person, no matter the result, no matter what he says and how he reacts. The core is relatively constant, his strengths, fears, weaknesses, values, beliefs, all sorts of behaviors, they change at a pace that is very hard to notice on the short life span of a season.

So as much as I find it natural I still despise worship and contempt mechanism. You deserve no credit for shouting Gee's the legend in the same way if you call him a too serious prick because he said or did this and that. We can all choose our attitudes towards people and happenings, it's our obligation to f*cking manage our feelings towards others. It's great that he left his spot for Bernie but I really don't like it that suddenly that brings him fans. If that turned you from hater to lover then your love is worth sht. You just roll on cheap excitement and getting enotional recreationally. The only way it is ok now to shout Gee is the man is because it got acceptable. I got bashed for supporting him before, people had all sorts of bad sht to say about him.

Fortunately enough, as this article suggests he is smart enough to look for good vibe coming from the environment. Nevertheless I felt him being sad about sht being told about him in not too distant past, on the last interview he gave to Dirtmag.

Look for good in people. Life's too short to make emotionally charged assumptions about people that have absolutely no fkng influence on your life, and you make tose just because dude is in the spotlight, while you feel comfy, hidden in your dark room where nobody has any expectations about your performance, either as an athlete or just as a decent human being.

Good luck Gee!
  • 1 0
 Yip. Bunch of Rudolph haters.
  • 63 2
 how do you manage to have so much free time to write something that long?

i am currently typing from the toilet which is the only place i can log into Pinkbike since i got married
  • 13 2
 @Narro2: after thousand posts like that it comes naturally...
  • 4 0
 @Narro2: me too hahahahaha
  • 11 1
 @rokboy: but I wrote it when sitting on the toilet...
  • 4 1
 @WAKIdesigns: ha! another idea for Waki's trollopedia, the hemorroid troll, "will only type under the false sense of security of the toilet", tag me and @rokboy if you ever draw it
  • 2 0
 Sopt on WAKI.
  • 34 0
 Good luck this year lad, team GeeBR! Wanna see you back on top. That hardline video, insane!
  • 24 0
 I've been struggling with the same injury since September 2015, after lots of physiotherapy I'm only now coming close to being able to hold on to the bike like I could beforehand. They only operate on really serious tears - and he was coming close to top 10 at world cups carrying that injury??? What an absolute animal. I'd second the nice guy part, met him at Fort Bill and he's sound as a dollar pound. Hope he gets back to the very top.
  • 27 0
 Gee Atherton is NOT a pussy.
  • 31 5
 He looks crazy strong, and it's not body builder muscle, it's lean athletic/cardiovascular.
  • 23 22
 Body building is a hobby like any other. Just like every single sport, once you go over the edge it starts to ruin your body rather than make it healthy. So let's get that aside. What I wonder is how much stronger you actually get by getting so much meat on you, when does the law of limited returns get into play. It's about how muscle mass and strength go together. Looks vs functionality - considering bodybuilding in a way is just like commenting Counter Strike on youtube is to feel like male Alpha in a certain group, rather than to be good or strong. You don't need Strong Man strength in case the world goes under... I am too lazy to google it myself.
  • 14 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Hard to say, I lifted weights for a long time, but I'm also heavily medicated my whole life, so who knows. One thing about lifting weights, you don't do it to live longer, that's for sure, that's why I was saying Gee looks athletically/healthily fit.
  • 16 1
 Gee lifts heavy weights. Can't win these days without having it as part of training.
  • 4 1
 @WAKIdesigns: Body building at the level it is today is quite a beast, not just a hobby. However, from the perspective of those who compete in that sport, it's more about art than having strength or being healthy. Body builders consider themselves sculptors but instead of marble or ice, of a human body. The real question you're getting at is what does all that strength do for you in any practical/functional situation? Body builders do have a lot of strength because their muscle fibers are larger and hence, have greater force capabilities, but what does that translate to besides something like bench pressing more weight?
  • 6 7
 @atrokz: what do you mean with heavy weight? What is your point of reference? 500lbs deadlift? 2x body weight? 1.5x?

@shaun-ridefast-michael - great post, thanks! On the other hand... a lot of stuff is developed to the point of being a beast. Including Social Media Warfare Wink
  • 6 1
 @WAKIdesigns: it's a variable that is determined by ones max effort. If you don't lift to this maximum effort, your strength does not improve. Since DH requires high wattage outputs for short duration, being able to push more weight is a benefit and the reason squats/deads are included in a cycling training program. Of course, there is limitations where oxygen debt and speed/weight comes into play. Just stating that the pros do indeed lift weights (along with a bunch of other stuff), hence Gee looking like a cross fit model, which doesn't come without resistance training (skinny boy abs don't count). The pros seem to have gotten significantly fitter since the early 2000s.
  • 7 7
 @atrokz: ok. I asked this just so it doesn't sound like some "I work hard" bollocks Wink Now, how do I determine my max effort? my record for deadlift is slightly above 1.5 body weight (120kg). how do I know how far should I go? Asking because I'm about to hit the point of my offseason training where I max out weights and most of try to be responsible coaches play the safe card here.
  • 2 1
 @WAKIdesigns: haha, of course, it's about working smart! Best bet is to have a trainer or someone with experience help you with watching form while you try more weight. My max will be more than some, less than others, but it worked for me. I also found negative deadlifts (where you slowly lower the weight vs dropping it) with less weight (280lbs for reference) for 4 sets of 10 were real good at improving my form for heavier lifts. definitely need to experiment with weight and see what works, as everyone is different. My little brother can bench over 300 (he's 175lbs) but can't squat to save his life because of his ankles limited mobility, some are the opposite, so find what works for you. ANY well thought out gym work is gonna do wonders for rides later on in the year. It's cool because not even 10 years ago, off season gym was something not many of us did, now it seems like we all do it, which is great for our health.
  • 6 5
 @atrokz: I do offseason training since 6 years but I am more curious about details recently. In 2015 I haven't done off season sht and huh the difference was huge. I think that people actually should do that, it does wonders for motivation. Once the season kicks in and you have no strength and what's worse, very crappy muscle memory then you really get motivated to be back in shape Smile
  • 3 0
 @WAKIdesigns: haha, thats true. Too many "first ride of the season" spent wheezing up hills with wobbly legs 2km into the ride... Told myself never again, as I get older, more chances of kicking the bucket on that first ride so gotta try to stay in shape instead.
  • 2 2
 @atrokz: the best for me is to do strenght trianing 2-3 times a week, then one road ride with intervals at night in a rather comfortable pace, then get into a strong group for the weekend. I personally find it gruelling in the winter and spring to ride alone in the daylight since I find little motivation to push hard. But getting into a ride with 2-4 strong f*ckers gets my game on and keeps me motivated. The only thing is to stay realistic and have some strategies for survival. Rest when you can, don't sprint those climbs like they do. Making them wait 15-30 sec on the top of every climb can save a lot of energy compared to trying to stay on their back wheel. And avoid being in the front hahaha Big Grin There's nothing you need more than ride up a rocky section on max heart rate, see the flatter spot, prepare to crank smoothly to regenerate, only to get some bastard buzzing your rear tyre and laughing at you.
  • 1 0
 Looks like very good and strict diet as well.
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: HEHE WAKI YOU some of provocateur ...
  • 24 0
 this guy is a rock. heal up, you'll be back on podium !!!
  • 14 0
 I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Gee, and a host of other racers, last year at MSA. He was a great guy, affable, but determined to win the race. Once you've actually been to a WCR to see the terrain these racers barrel down you gain an instant and significant boost on the healthy respect already paid to them. To think that Gee was able to continue doing that, at a world class level, is testament to his will to win....and perhaps an insight into his insanity! haha All the best to you Gee! Also, thanks to PB for the insight as well. I enjoyed reading this article.
  • 15 2
 Gee's the Man. He's also so ripped he reminds me of groundskeeper willie. Wander if his sheer size holds him back compared to riders like Heart and Gwinn, who are phisically smaller and lighter, and maybe more nimble as a result?

Hope to see him back in the podium in 2017!
  • 17 2
 Gwinn is not much smaller and look at the likes of minnar, ratboy, Flo payet, peaty.... All tall and fast
  • 8 0
 watch the video about Gwin and his chace for the Championship title. There is a short scene of him topless and he is pretty damn ripped.
  • 3 0
 Gee is not as big as you think he is. He looks much bigger because he is so ripped and defined but he's really not that much bigger or heavier than most of the other guys out there.
  • 3 0
 @sino428: he's 6'3" according to Wikipedia, which is fairly tall
  • 3 0
 @piersgritten: he might be a tall but I think what the original poster was getting at was more about his muscle mass and weight, which I don't think is all that much more than alot of the other guys. He's just shredded.
  • 3 0
 @sino428: Its interesting. Gwinn is 5'8'' according to wikipedia. And although he is ripped, Gee *seems* to have more muscle mass. This should relate to being heavier, which should relate to slower outright corner speeds for a given amount of grip. Now Gee is already hugely successful, with all those podiums, so there is much more too speed than that. Immortal skillz, and ballz the size of coconuts probably have more to do with it. But it could be a interesting strategy to bulk down to see if there is a gain in speed.
  • 4 0
 @Mojo348: that's the thing though. I really don't think that gee has all that much more muse mass than the other guys. Maybe a littke, but I think it's just more of an illusion because he's so defined. I've seen gee in person, he's not a big and bulky guy. He's very thin, but shredded.
  • 15 0
 Riding WCs with a torn rotator cuff, and still placing top 20?? Dude is such a beast! I hope he makes a full recovery and can come out swinging next season.
  • 9 0
 Interesting that it took so long for his Docs to find out the extent of his injuries. I mean at his level, a season out or even simply not performing 100% is a serious issue, as such I would think his medical team would not wait almost the ENTIRE season to get him an MRA scan. To me thats borderline negligent and one can easily imagine that racing the remainder of the season on his shoulder could have repercussions far beyond his racing career.
  • 2 0
 this. just wow. really makes me wonder what passes for his"medical team" - especially given he is at the highest competition level in the sport... having had the injury myself, I would think a good physio or doc with at least a bit of sports medicine training should have been able to figure out real quick just based on some simple strength and range of motion tests what was going on.
  • 14 1
 He misses Stevie.
  • 8 0
 When you read a great article that gives you a little more insight into just what was up with Gee all last year... Then you get to the comments section and wouldn't you fucking guess who's trying to steal the show... Anyways... Great article! Love to see more long form writing like this on pinkbike.
  • 8 0
 One of the best interviews I've seen on PB, love to see more of this to complement the vid and review content. Be good to see if he can crack the new aristocracy of Gwin, Bruni and Hart
  • 9 0
 I dont think you could find many riders tougher than Gee. He expects a lot out of himself and takes the sport very seriously when he needs to. Nothing but respect for him.
  • 8 0
 His Rampage slam... gets right up.
  • 9 0
 Great article. Gee, all the best in 2017. Here's to you getting back on those top steps.
  • 7 0
 One of the gratest! felt sad he was "slow", feeling sad he wasn't ok, hope everything will be ok Gee and your back on trak soon! God bless and good luck mate !
  • 4 0
 I've met Gee a few times and he is really approachable and cool. He and Rachel both were really generous with their time, talking to my daughter and posing for pictures. He is also a spectacular rider. The speed, power, and control is something else in real life. I hope he gets better and returns to his winning ways. On another note, hats off to PB. This is great content. Keep this coming. There are plenty of riders with great stories to share. Great work!
  • 8 0
 Good on ya, Gee, back at it for next season, good luck big fella!
  • 10 3
 Only read this because he rides with Rachel
  • 5 0
 What an animal! Fair play Gee man, hoping for a strong 2017 season for you! All the best mate
  • 3 0
 The Man's a beast!!! Good luck and hope to see you back on form this year! Wanna see another Gee vs rider Battle this year (think Gee vs Bruni could be a pretty intense one to watch haha)
  • 2 0
 Personally I've always respected Gee as a professional and this proves it further he means business! He might not have the same charisma as Peaty but he is still as rad as they come, some of the crashes he's taken on wc weekends and still raced shows he loves the sport a lot, like very much a lot!
  • 3 1
 Great article if a bit wordy for my attention span. Crazy that a proven bad ass like Gee on a proven bike like the Trek struggled to find the edge at the first round. Shows just what an achievement it was of Gwinn to win on the totally unproven YT on its first outing. Thats no diss intended to Gee or suck up to Gwinn. I love racing, DH, Moto or Moto GP for this very shit, the racer's trials and tribulations and what they achieve against the odds. Bring on 2017.
  • 2 0
 Truly great piece. respect to all, from a medical aspect in the UK MRA means either an angio... or this instance definitely an Arthrogram under MRI. You don't need to see the arteries / circulation from an angiogram to see the rotator cuff. In fact you cant. The is very little vasculature, that's why these damn things don't heal. MR Arthrograms reveal cuff tears better than any other imaging modality.
I had one 3 weeks ago...still in denial, praying that the steroid injection with avoid me surgery.... had the injection done 48 hours ago - time will tell.... at least i can move it better than ever from last July.... good luck all on here with Cuff Tears / SLAP lesions / biceps tendonitis!!
  • 2 0
 Bruh I know your pain the injections are a life saver, took my last one 9 days to take proper effect but youll notice it being better after a week. as long as your not getting the injection once every 6 weeks and its doing its job in-between injections (one of my friends is close to having that much and we are both 22 Blank Stare ) you shouldn't fingers crossed need to have the surgery...unless you have a desk job and in that case GET THE SURGERY haha coz lets face it later down the line aint gonna be fun... haha
  • 2 0
 @Ihboyrude:

cheers buddy. Means a lot. ( no desk job Wink )
  • 3 0
 Always thought Gee was a bit of a robot, and never paid much attention to him. This article completely changed that; the commitment and dedication Gee has is super inspiring.
  • 2 1
 Took him for a spin round the Dyfi last week, he couldn't keep up.
11th in the overall with a bad shoulder for most of the season.
I was fortunate to go away with they team to WC finals and World Champs and I have the upmost respect for the man.
And for you haters that say he's 'boring and has no sense of humor' that's more a reflection on you.
I make him laugh all the time. #BringerOfLols
  • 3 0
 Hard as nails... everytime I've crashed I've taken months off to recover and whined like a 4 year old kid deprived of chocolate...
  • 1 0
 Right... iv been getting steroid injections for the past 3 years in my shoulder for suspected torn rotary cuff so id be interested to hear what else was done and what op he got because iv been looking for a definitive answer to what it is for years. Also I was told the recovery time just to get back to work never mind riding a bike was 4 months if nothing was found to be wrong and 6-8 if there was something found to need to be repaired. Anyone here had the op or had any indication of what other work Gee had.

cheers Smile
  • 1 0
 Plain MR??
Don't waste your time. Get an MR arthrogram (not angiogram - different test for the heart). Shows labral tears, cartilage damage and ups the sensitivity a lot more. Only downside is the gadolinium can irritate shoulders for a week or two.
  • 1 0
 yeh I had an arthrogram and the surgeon said it was inconclusive. He basically told me hes 70% sure I have a tear but being told 4 months off work without conclusive info, well to say the least it wouldn't be ideal. The injections seem to help tho, I only get one every 6-8 months and that tends to sort it for another 6-8 then it starts niggling and I get pain on the bike and if I don't get it seen to it normally gets to the point that I cant move my whole arm without extreme pain.

Im really interested what opp gee actually got tho haha
  • 1 0
 I remember walking in the pits at Windham 2015, and seeing Gee and Rachel sitting under the tents drinking coors light. Ending up running into Ratboy, and gave him one of my yeunglings, then ran into bernard kerr who gave me one of his mud tires he was about to throw out. Got Gwin to autograph my cooler, and his mechanic let me and my buddy touch his demo...was an amazing time!
  • 1 0
 that's the problem with professional sports especially moto. winning come before serious injuries. many of these kinds of major injuries last a lifetime. In other words, you are never the same.
  • 5 0
 One word. Weapon.
  • 5 1
 Maybe when he's done with the DH, he can go into MMA.
  • 2 0
 He'd have to take Warner's nickname for him - Gee 'the Vulcan' Atherton
  • 1 0
 @frankwizza: the dude is lean, ripped and tough...
  • 5 0
 Beast!
  • 2 0
 If racing doesn't work out for Gee he could always join the NY fire department, he'll fit in well with that mustache he's got going Smile
  • 1 1
 Crazy that a top team/rider has a silly old style ice bag that needs to be held in place by hand like that.
Also strange that a top team/rider would have doctors that take that long to discover torn rc.
Very good content here.
  • 1 1
 I would love to see Gee come back and have a stellar year but I wonder if this article is preemptive of a bigger announcement coming. Rumors have been swirling that Gee is going to pursue a full time rally career with the backing of a major automotive sponsor. Either way Wish him all the luck in the world in whatever endeavors he pursues.
  • 2 0
 Lies
  • 4 0
 Good luck Gee!!
  • 3 0
 Should be just; 'good craic' Smile
  • 4 0
 G is a legend!
  • 1 0
 hey Gee is the man! and one helluva mountain biker. If there was one, Gee would be the reprehensive for mountain biking as a whole.
  • 1 2
 I cant believe Gee & all his medics, people & sponsors didnt simply know about EATING FRESH PINEAPPLE !!! after that first crash & throughout the season ! would have healed that injury in 2 weeks ! GEE start eating pineapple ! the Bromelain Enzyme in the pineapple & the fruit itself heals : ligaments - tendons - muscle tissue - rotator cuffs etc. i raced pro downhill when it first started, 1988 - 1996. @ SWATCH WC @ Mammoth 88 or 89 i was the fastest guy through the speed trap 60 MPH Kamikazi Downhill. & 4th / 5th in dual slalom after eliminating John Tomac in early rounds. then 1989 - 1996 top 10 / top 20 @ world cups & world championships & a few 4ths & 5ths in slaloms. raced & did R&D for FOES when i got out of it. Anyway i race Supermoto now & want to race vet class Downhill !! Will somebody please sponsor me ?? !! contact - Doug Kirchgraber Kirk @ kdoogie69@yahoo.com ive been training & im still fast as f@ck... lets do this TREK.
  • 4 0
 Keep going Gee man!
  • 3 0
 That's a pretty incredible read.
  • 1 0
 Really hope Gee's back on it this year. Going to be some incredible talent out there for him to get near though.
  • 2 0
 He also won the 2010 wc! Sure he doesn't want that achievement forgotten.
  • 2 0
 WC DH competition is just injury management at it's core.
  • 3 0
 I like men now
  • 2 0
 Darn good read that.....Gee's nails
  • 2 0
 Gee is a badass, nuff said
  • 1 0
 Heal up Gee, then just focus on having fun...I guarantee you will get great race results.
  • 1 0
 Anyone know what knee pads he wearing?
  • 4 1
 Mountain Bike ones
  • 1 0
 Team rides for IXS pads
  • 2 0
 Beast!
  • 2 0
 I like the guy.
  • 1 0
 DOES he need a TUE for the steroid injections
  • 2 0
 Gee is a machine.
  • 1 0
 That's a tough injury.
  • 1 0
 Almost as tough as a shattered navicular (scaphoid) Wink
  • 1 0
 @bizutch: I broke my navicular at Tanglewood BMX in 2001ish
  • 1 0
 @bman33: I raced Mt. Snow, Massanutten & Sugar Mtn 3 weeks back to back to back with a broken one.

@CantClimb raced Plattekill, Snowshoe, etc and ground his navicular into dust.
  • 4 4
 Aw poor guy
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