Gee Atherton had a pretty sick little sniper line he was working on at Rampage this year, a decent sized step down gap over a few rocks and into an almost postage stamp sized landing. It looked tricky, but definitely doable, especially for someone like Gee. After a bunch of work on the run in and a few practice runs he hit it, and came up just a little bit short, smashing into the rocks he needed to go over...
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Photo sequence by
Long NguyenThe Pinkbike user with the best comment about taking risks and wearing protection wins a
EVOC Protector Vest Air+.
Please keep in mind that we choose the winner based on the best comment, it does not and never has had anything to do with the number of props. Also keep in mind that anyone found to be giving out negative props to a number of users without explanation or reason given will be banned for prop spamming.
Or in bikes case to get a new scar, i have too much already, im getting old, i dont want new ones....
Then I crashed and shattered my collarbone into 7 large shards. I'd never broken a bone before. I had to go to countless ortho doctors, and finally 3 weeks later had surgery and 6 stainless steel screws and a plate put in my shoulder. I haven't ridden in 47 days, when I used to ride every single day. I know that this crash changed my life. I can't stop thinking about what I'm missing by being disabled and off the bike.
So, although protection may not have helped my shoulder, I know that now when I can finally be able to ride, I will be wearing kneepads, gloves, the helmet that covers the most of my head, and anything else that will protect my (I know now) fragile body.
(Crashing + protection ) x ( trying again+ perserverence) = improvement
(Crashing - protection ) x (inability to try again + hospital visits) = no improvement
I say there is no line,
They say your suspension will never handle it
I say lets test that theory.
They say use your brakes,
I say I dont believe in them.
Armour: helping to correct bad decisions since 1991.
As far as I understand it he didn't come up short at all but took the complete wrong line smashing in to a cliff rather than passing beside it!
Regardless, glad the Gee man was (relatively) ok!
My advice is; "keep a lid on it"
Of almost every crash I saw at Rampage, every crash I have ever had and every crash I have seen on a DH bike, I have seen maybe a couple pro level riders actually knee slide out of something on a smooth dirt jump. Most crashes involve ragdolling like Gee's.
I guess my question is, given the nature and speed of DH riding and the knowledge that most injuries are upper body why do most people not wear it? I realize it won't stop all injuries but surely it has to help lessen impacts? Is it simply a "restrictive" issue or a "style/cool" factor or a combo? I would take some beef jerky on my knees before blunt force to the spine any day.
Personally I wear body armour mostly, but one of the few times I didn't last year I went OTB and took the nub of a broken branch on a fallen tree right to the centre of my chest and busted my sternum. Looked like an alien was poppin outta me, it was pretty funny. Fortunately the tree was old and the nub was blunt, otherwise I'd almost certainly have opened myself up and been in big trouble. Needless to say, I wear body armour for anything significant now...
I found the report and as I thought, wipeout induced memory problems have a few of the numbers changed but you'll get the point. Lol
download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/1080-6032/PIIS1080603212000154.pdf
JINXS! Now put on that helmet and put some pads on while you're at it.
all these girls appeared on big f##k off dh bikes aw the body armour
they were all gone in seconds down the trail next to make or brake
they were training for sure so it was make or brake 3 times then
cadon bank then up to glentress jump park all be back down tomorrow
a good day though .and the matador drop will have to be in the next life ha .
(Man I Wish I had one of those when I landed on that kid at the Skatepark. . .)
Id rather go home a little sore than lay in emergency in agony. Life is to short to let your pride stop you from gearing up. Take it form a older rider.....wear the gear, and ride untill you are old and grey
When I started riding few years ago I was wearing shin protection, helmet, gloves (basically everything I was able to get at that time). There was a long period of time when I wasn't crashing at all. One day I have decided to stop wearing protection at all, as is didn't make sense (obviously, it was a really stupid idea, but I thought it makes sense). I went for a ride and did put my protection on just by default. When I realised I actually did that, I told myself that this is the last day I am wearing all that stuff.
That day I found amazing stair set - I needed to drop that one. Obviously, I would not be telling this story - I have slipped from one of my pedals and it came back to me so hard, that it did hit straight through my shin protection. I was bleeding under it. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I would not be wearing shin protection that day.
I was able to learn without doing a big mistake, I just got lucky, but that was enough anyway. I am very careful now and I am getting as good protection as possible. I have some protection still missing, but I am working hard on it to get full body armour in place.
I hope this story will inspire people to wear a protection and not to do stupid mistakes.
Thanks!
Armor won't stop you from breaking, it will only reduce the shredding.
Note to (future) self: Always wear protection.
But you last longer!!
Be on the safe side of life.
But in all seriousness that was insane. Looked incredably painfull.
There have already been loads of crashes that one way or another the riders have walked away from, and its only a matter of time before someone makes that one fatal mistake...
sorry to be a downer but that just what i think. good luck for the recovery Gee
EVOC. It's there when she throws a cliff of doubt at you. Be prepared.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6z-hjBfvIA&sns=em
"On the rocks."