Video: Cedric Gracia Talks About His Injury

Sep 8, 2012 at 4:06
by Matt Wragg  
I-MTB have just sent over this interview with Cedric Gracia. Cedric talks in depth about what happened, how his fans keep him going and the doctor who left him bleeding for three days...



Author Info:
mattwragg avatar

Member since Oct 29, 2006
753 articles

141 Comments
  • 119 2
 CG = Legend!
  • 67 0
 CG = Complete Guru.

What an amazing guy. To manage to stay so positive despite suffering such an absolutely horrific injury is inspiring and speaks volumes about his character. To be told you may never ride again must be absolutely heartbreaking. He looked pretty choke up towards the end.

Cedric - we're all wishing you the speediest possible recovery. I've got absolutely no doubt that we'll see you back pulling suicide no-handers in race runs soon. It's just not the same without you.
  • 22 0
 CG is the man! And we are all supporting you!
  • 3 10
flag northumberlandrider (Sep 9, 2012 at 11:08) (Below Threshold)
 'I went too grab my front brake and basicly it wasn't their' .... Hope technology you sir have failed
  • 1 1
 Did they investigate this failure? It's an outrage. All the best CG. You'll make it fo sure!
  • 4 0
 I think a rock kicked up and severed his brake line.
  • 2 0
 He seems quite positive about all of this. It's nice to see! Get well soon CG!
  • 3 1
 Yeah, I love his positive attitude as much as I love his style on the bike. Will never forget that year he won Rampage, hes done it all!
  • 100 0
 I really wish I could message Cedric..
When I was 18 and filming for a mountain bike movie I had a crash that changed my life.
I overshot a road gap and fell over 40 feet to the ground..
The impact shattered both my legs. My left leg was a compound fracture of the tib and fib. Shattered my ankle and foot aswell.
My right leg was fractured of the tib and fib. I had massive soft tissue damage and swelling. To top it all off I fractured both my heals. The impact of my head hitting the gorund also shattered my fullface helmet.

The first thing the doctors told me was that they would most likly will have to remove my left leg...
That was pretty hard to hear. I had blood transfusions, skin graphs, metal plates rods and screws put in. They took Arteries out of my arm to put into my leg aswell. After many times in the operating room i ended up keeping my leg.
The doctors said I would maybe beable to walk, never run and never ride a bike again. Pretty much that I was going to be a cripple.
After 2 months in the hospital, 3 months in a wheel chair, 1 year not walking without a cane or crutches i was able to walk again.
Tons and tons of physio and healing time I was able to start running. Then i started to ride again.
Its been the most painfull experiance ever but never give up.
Never ever listen to the doctor about what they think your long term results will be!
With the doctors permission, fight threw the pain. Push yourself at physio, make yourself strong. Do everything you possibly can to become strong again. Breaking up the scar tissue will hurt more than anything but just push threw it.
When your body is healing you must give it 150% all the time.
If in your mind and soul you want it, you will get it. Its all up to you.
I hurt everyday all the time but i tell the pain f*ck you! Nothings going to hold me back and I know someone like you wont.
Heal up and get better man, i know you can do it!
  • 6 0
 So true! Doctors can only make estimates for the average of the patients they see. If you're really dedicated, you can surpass the prognosis. Under supervision though, you don't want to damage yourself again or hinder the healing process.
  • 3 0
 indeed. doctors act like the fun police..twice i was told never gonna ride mtn bikes again..but man, "ITS", I feel your pain..ride on.. hats off to Cedric cant wait to see him ride again. heal up bro...
  • 2 0
 Well said man. Although I only snapped my femur on a tree I know exactly what you mean about saying f-ck you pain and pushing through it. I got a titanium rod, bolt and screws. Dr's told me 5 months. I was back in 3 1/2. Its what you got inside that will make a speedy recovery or ruin your life. Some days hurt but im still pedalin!
  • 1 0
 I think the doctors just want to make it clear that you could damage yourself doing it again. I think they would feel bad and look bad if you went out and screwed your leg by riding again! Great story man, you too are an inspiration.
  • 12 0
 13 months ago I crashed too- when the ambulance came I was pronounced dead- when they woke me out of the coma few weeks later I needed to learn to walk and speak again. My pelvis, shoulders, neck, spine, legs, ribs, face and skull were absolutely thrashed. Internal brain bleeding was meant to leave me as a vegetable. They told me I would not ride my bike nor run nor few other bits ever again. I moaned and groaned so they discharged me about 6 weeks before the date advised by a panel of doctors. I remember my mum picking me up from the floor with tears in her eyes when I just did not give up and tried to cycle in the rear garden. 13 months later- physiotherapy- ongoing, neurotherapy- ongoing, memory loss- ongoing, concentration issues- ongoing, brain seizures- ongoing...


RIDING? HARDER THAN EVER... Get well Cedric!!!
  • 4 0
 ive just been through a similar situation. january this year i broke both my elbows, my right wrist and scafoid and poped both cartilage capsules in my elbows aswel. after initially being told at hospital that they couldnt tell me what i had done, being thrown into casts and sent home, i then returned to the hospital for xrays where i was given the bad news. they were unsure whether or not to operate on my right arm (i split my radial head into 4 pieces) so they put me in casts (again) and sent me on my way. when i returned for my 2 month check up, i had my initial xrays where they then told me, 'oops, we seem to have missed that you have broken the upper part of your radius.' lucky for me having it in the cast, where it was kept straight, it healed. anyway they cleared me from hospital that day, told me that everything had healed properly and i was good to go with physio and start riding again. which brings me to last week. 5 weeks before im due to fly to the USA for competition, my physio tells me that my radial head has healed crooked and that i'll need surgery to correct it. Thanks Doc.... you did a real good job. i now have the decision to make whether or not to race with it as is, deal with the pain and fix it when i get home... or have the surgery now and risk not going on my trip...


im with you inshane! f*** what the doctors say. if they were concentrated more on doing their jobs then telling us what we can and cant do, maybe - just maybe, there might be less niggling things that prevent us from reaching our full potential after injury.

Props to CG aswel. dude is badass! positive 110% even with a bleak outlook.
  • 1 0
 It looks like world wide, across the range we really dont get the kind of care we expect when we are injured.
I guess thats down to who you see on the day and how good at thier job they are.
Also they are seeing us at our most vunerable where we dont make great descisions ourselves. I think the general remit initially is to make sure you come to no additional harm. After that its a bit of a lottery. I had a relatively minor injury of a little broken finger, I was warned in very grave detail that if i did not have a corrective opperation seeing me of work for 4 months I would likely need to have it amputated. I got a second opinion where by I was told strapping to the next finger and not being stupid would be adequate. When questioned the second physician did conceed that if I was to give the broken little finger excessive trauma (like breaking it again very soon) it would likely be amputation, but most people know their own limits and minor cases like that common sense and practicality is more important.
Sorry for the ramble but the point being even for a minor injury two completely polar opposite viewpoints. Also neither a sports physician with any understanding of what partaking in our sport means to us on such a deep level. Belive that makes a huge difference to care.
  • 44 1
 CG needs a medal...a big fucking medal presented by topless playboy bunnies.
  • 4 0
 Something tell me he's had that party severa times over in his career Wink The man is just a total badass on AND off his bike...
  • 3 0
 such a boss!!!
  • 39 0
 Such a humble guy , you can see he feels awkward with all this attention for what is a serious injury , but as he says it's not the end of the world and there people much worse off then him , what a soldier !
  • 35 1
 I did a bomb, like you do in the swimmingpool, but I did it on a stump...
  • 9 0
 Anyone else cringe when he described the crash? So glad it wasn't worse because by the sounds of how fast he was going, he could have been killed.
  • 2 0
 Yeah I do aye... in addition, I just always think about how far we've come in protective-wear aye... in the 30 years I've been riding, I've seen nd HAD a LOT of bad crashes, and no two ways about it, crashes tht would have (and did) kill guys even 10 years ago, people are walking (well maybe not WALKING) away from and getting back on the bike. This isnt 100%, ALWAYS the case, and as a Paramedic I KNOW that sometimes it can just be a "fluke". Also, I think that equipment designers are thinking of care administration these days, not jut "our helmet won't let your head break" . I foget who's new helmets are actually designed for guys like me to USE the helmet as an aditional C-spine immobilization aid and have the padding come out so you're not jerking some guy/gal's head around trying to get the helmet off. On a positive note about the riders too, I think that a lot of the macho"I'm fine, I can shake it off" BS is going away as we see these horrific crashes happen more and more and we're going faster and faster, bigger and bigger, I'm a;ways relieved to see a LOT of guys/gals these days STAY DOWN and let someone check you out before you get up. Can't tell you how many people I've seen get up with their adrenaline coursing through their veins and then WHAM, they're down and not moving cause they moved something around that needed to be stabilized... Ride safe folks and Good on ya Cedric, can't keep a great rider down can ya (look at Missy G aye Wink )
  • 18 1
 First, props to CG and speedy recovery. Next: i an 69 years old still ripping Garbo @ Whistler and other trails including North Shore and Sunshine Coast like Mach Chicken etc; [ admit, most of the trails that i kill it on are ones where i know every rock and root and i do love the rush of full on no brakes on Lower Gearjammer ! ] i have had my share of injuries [ Sternum / Wrist / Ribs etc ] and though still strong in great condition i feel it is time to let go - will i just 'stop' riding DH ? Nope. but less frequent so as to 'acclimatize' myself to not be riding...i will be going to Whistler this next weekend and each ride may be the 'last Hurrah' so i will suck every drop of the joy shredding has given me over the years - CG is right, whatever you do should be 100% and until i let go and move on to something less risky like....Bingo [....NOT !!! :-) ] in the meantime i will be as passionate about riding as i was in the beginning but perhaps less progressive and just do 'what i know' i can do. and enjoy. [ oh, just a word of advice to young riders from an older - not necessarily wiser - rider: if you want to be shredding late into your life, what your lifestyle involves will likely determine how long you will ride; endless partying and poor diet with ingesting volumes of half cooked red meats filled with hormones and pathogens like McDonalds, and greasy fries with toxic waste like Gatorade, Red Bull and all the other garbage that gives you a quick fix with long term poor health effects will do nothing good for your probability of riding into the 'Twilight' years - more likely you will be getting your rush 'remembering' the good ol days on your ride, while you waste away with some gnarly disease....ok, that's my old rippers rant; happy trails, and meantime i will chomp at the bit waiting for the Fox Warranty Guys to repair my fork so i can stop blabbing and hit the berms on Pre Whistler Burnaby Mountain !
  • 4 0
 You are awesome!
  • 1 0
 I'm just under half your age jcinkits, and you're a hell of a role model. To be shredding Garbo at your age gives us middle aged dudes a lot to look forward to. Just thinking out loud here, but by the time I'm 69 my son will be 41. The thought of riding with him and maybe his own son gives me all the reasons I need to wake up in the morning.
  • 2 0
 thank you . it makes me happy that my rant may have encouraged anyone to a more active lifestyle, and yes, riding with your son will be awesome, and even scary [ had a few moments when my son broke his back { T 10 } another time his ribs, concussions, nose, etc, etc; - looked like he was dancing with a Mack truck ! ] i know, sounds like i'm raining on the parade, but like he told me after one of those episodes : ' Pop, one time or the other life is going to hurt, but it's a small price to pay for YOU doing something you love, rather than watching from the side lines, someone else do it '....having said this, it is also good to know when to quit, but as long as my only option is watching TV as an armchair spectator and getting fat and lazy, i guess it is NEVER time to quit - being healthy is a blessing and i will not waste it by 'quitting' life and wasting away in a rocker :-) happy trails, y'all.
  • 15 1
 I'm glad he mentioned incompetence. I defies belief the number of times you see people try to drag freshly injured people about, picking them up of tracks dragging them clear rather than stopping the next rider. Medical care can also vary massively.
  • 7 0
 Yea, UCI needs to hire Astrix Medical team from AMA Motocross, they know whats best. Get well soon CG.
  • 15 2
 He wouldn't saddle his sponsors nor his mechanic with the responsibility of his mechanical. He doesn't want someone that cares about him feeling guilty. Mechanicals are mechanicals; they happen to everyone no matter how well prepared you are.
It is awesome to see him so motivated. I hope he doesn't encounter any setbacks. He is a racer that performs in so many ways. I will cheer him on more than anyone else- even if he were last.
  • 3 0
 That's the mark of awesome that he cares enough not to pin someone with blame.

I remember Eddie Lawson having an epic get off at turn 2 of Laguna Seca (early '90's) due a brake failure that was the result of the pads literally falling out. Instead of rage and exposure, he quietly made the guy that did the work responsible for all of his brake work from that point on! Eddie made a fan AND DEDICATED SERVANT FOR LIFE with that move.

This kind of consideration is what we should all be made of.
  • 2 2
 man I wish motogp was like old times again... its boring watching lorenzo and stoner ride circles around everybody else
  • 1 1
 There is a rumor that rossi is going back to yamaha so maybe it will be a 3 way battle soon
  • 1 1
 rumour is stoner wants to ditch motogp as well... hopefully not as lorenzo doing laps by himself sounds awful and even back on the yamaha rossi just isnt at his peak anymore... although i miss rossi winning easily my favourite rider right next to hayden
  • 2 1
 Both true. This is stoners last season. He has lost interest in the sport. His own words And rossi is leaving ducati and going back to Yamaha to finish off his career. His own words too.
  • 1 0
 shit... guys an adrenaline junkie alright! wheres he going now?
  • 2 0
 Not sure what he's doing. To me it looks like there are other things in life than racing bikes. Especially after Marco Simoncelli death last year. He always hates doing any of the Honda publicity but has to do it. All eyes on Dani Pedrosa for me. He's becoming very good.
  • 16 0
 I can safely say CG is the coolest French dude ever!
  • 15 0
 Can't wait to see CG back racing when ever that maybe!!
  • 10 0
 CG is a legend! A good point he made about clearing outside of the track as well, the UCI is supposed to be a professional governing body/organiser of which is supposed to be the top echelon of offroad mountain biking and they seem to forget about simple things like this ! Of course not every obstacle can be covered up/have mats over it etc but sensible placement may save riders serious injury. Its disappointing the freecaster series (DH1) never got off of the ground because the UCI sucks and doesn't deserve to run the world cup series. All we can hope is one day all the big teams bunch together and create there own series as the current setup is BS.
  • 4 1
 right with you on that shit, look at road bike racing: how many injuries could be prevented by allowing disc brakes? Good job UCI, you suck.
  • 3 4
 i don't see how allowing roadies to use disk brakes is going to stop injuries. they offer less sheer clamping power and in all reality weigh twice as much in most cases.
  • 5 0
 well keep riding your rim brakes if you want, while riding on toeclips and paper thin steel frames. The battle over which is better was won by discs a long time ago. Literally, every bike racing sport where they aren't forbidden, uses them almost exclusively.

Sheer clamping power is irrelevant if you can lock up the wheel with either type, at that point it now comes down to modulation and effectiveness in bad weather, both of which discs win, hands down. better modulation and better performance in bad weather lead to a more in control rider, and a more in control rider is a safer rider.

As for weight, they've cut the weight of Mtn discs in half in the last 10 years, and you don't think they could do better if they were designing specifically for road? top level road cyclists are having to put weights on their BB shells now to get up to the UCI minimum 15 lbs, they've got weight to spare.

And keep in mind this affects everyone, not just racers: the reason I can't easily go buy a road bike with disc brakes is because nobody is going to market road bikes that will get you DQ'd if you ever show up to a race with them.
  • 4 0
 Sorry if this is something that I should know, but why exactly do they not allow disc brakes?
  • 3 0
 Its like F1 in the old days when the tracks were completely botched and loads of talented drivers were killed because of poor/no trackside safety. Not saying a few world cup riders need to die before things change but UCI should take note of injuries like cedrics and start to sort things out fir next season.
  • 10 0
 The problem with trail safety is a deeper on than uci. Look to your own local trails. When was the last time any of you walked your fave trail looking out for branches pointing at you or logs just off the edge of the trail. All these and many more things are easy to find just off that foot or so we are riding on all of which could potentially kill us.
  • 1 0
 randy makes a good point. upvote for you sir Salute
  • 2 0
 But when you enter a race you put your safety in the hands of the company organising it so its their responsibility to make sure the risk of injury/death is as low as possible. As for your own trails Its upto you how safe you want to make them, nothing like the fear of death to spure you on down a run ey.
  • 1 0
 Its not just races, its every trailcenter youve ever been too. Most of the races are at established centers anyway. I used to use dalby a bit for xc. Its hosted national and international events but they dearly love to put logs and stumps all the way down a lot of the faster hills, about a foot or so from the trail edge, most are over grown now and nicely hidden so a great surprise if you wander of the trail a little.
It would be interesting to hear from proffesional trail builders, do they have a remit to clear the area surrounding a trail or focus purely on the trail.
Also many of the tracks we use are in working forests so stumps are very likely. Any of the trail centers have a policy regarding house keeping surrounding trails. Again I would be interested to know how it all work. PB article?
  • 2 0
 All this aside get well soon CG, we really miss you, modern day Hanns Rey
  • 1 7
flag tylerthegiant (Sep 8, 2012 at 13:41) (Below Threshold)
 Disk brakes and rim brakes both have there fault. But disk brakes are less then rim. Tim brakes can fell on down hill sections due to heat. But brakeing power is defrance
  • 1 1
 vermonster: because they have all the efficiency and bureaucracy of any long established regulatory body. But their official reason is, at least as I've heard it: to keep the sport as consistent as possible, so that you can compare modern racers to those of yesteryear. But that's BS: road bikes weighed as much as 23 lbs just going back to the mid-90s, and it gets worse prior to that. hell the only reason they started the 15lbs weight limit is because Armstrong showed up on a ~14.5 lb bike. Plus, I would think being able to compare to racers of yesteryear and show less major injuries would be a favorable comparison.

But it bugs me the most because it affects everyone: their stupid rules make everybody who buys a road bike less safe.
  • 1 1
 (irrelevant remark - the only time my Avid Elixir R's haven't squealed and/or violently shook my bike to the point of making it dangerous to ride was when i rode my bike in light rain - the water actually lubricated and cooled the discs and made braking 10x easier than "normal" for Elixirs )
  • 2 0
 Surely that's because there is something wrong with your brakes or elixirs are just rubbish ! I run hope they may be a bit noisy in extreme wet conditions but there fantastic in every other type of weather, even if they do get noisy they still perform as well .
  • 1 1
 the UCI are useless idiots... they take years to take action against doping so fixing up the outside of track will be no better... and as for disc brakes on road the tire contact patch is just too small i find... a good set of campy dual pivot front and single pivot back is the best modulation you can get on a road bike and if you need more power you should work on your descending/cornering technique first I will not have somebody crash me because he slammed his disks while i was drafting him and for people that argue about modulation try the campy brakes I was on shimano brakes which are more power but very little modulation in the back and campys are just better modulation although i still ride shimano as I like the shifting better
  • 2 0
 @ jonnyhill2011- i run Hopes' on another bike and love them. run Formulas' on a DH bike and love them - Elixirs are the crappiest brakes i've ever used, even with organic pads. utter garbage.
  • 3 0
 Are we getting along way off point here?
Get well cg
  • 1 1
 @groghunter just wanna point out that figure is 29 if you want to go back to johan museeuw
  • 1 1
 oh and another thing that I forgot to point out the disc brakes on road bikes right now have had a ridiculous amount of failures (hydraulic hasnt been perfected for new riders dragging their brakes for 30 minutes at a time) and no racers would use them as itd be impossible to get brake rub out as rotors bend easily especially when the wheel is being bounced around in a car, as carbon technology and braking get better carbon wheels will get safer (carbon clinchers maybe not) and will be just a safe as alloy rims on desecents, rim brakes get better and better every year in case you havent noticed...
  • 2 0
 Do you actually know or remember what the post was about. Have maybe just a little respect for the legend that is Cedric Gracia
  • 4 0
 true^ that guy is a huge inspiration to me, if I'd never watched his NWD segments I would have never started riding mtb that guy definetly shows how you can be a top level racer and still have fun with it props to the guy for not wearing a tampon and being a bitchy racer, I hope he comes back with a vengeance this sport just wouldn't be the same without that guy, it'd be like watching danny harts run without rob warner
  • 2 0
 Well Tbh the original comment I made was regarding safety at tracks as mentioned by cg. How it became a roadie disc brake argument I don't know .
  • 1 0
 But now that we have veered off-topic, The actual reason the UCI hasn't legalized disc brakes is because they don't want some racers to have them while others don't because racers would be going different speeds and braking at different spots on fast downhills....not a valid justification in my view. Every other reason given above is bs. Thanks for the awesome memories Cedric!
  • 5 0
 CG is a legend. However, I think there's a time and an age when you have to let go of something and move on. I'm not saying this is his time - only he and his body can decide that. I respect Justin Leov for weighing the risk/rewards of pro mtbiking and accepting to move on; a very difficult thing to do when biking has always been your life. Matti Lehikoinen should take note. There is the rest of your life. I'm speaking as a 40yr old man who has had post-concussion syndrome for the last 8 months because of too many head injuries from biking (Cool . It seems as if I may never have my full brain function back. There is a time to quit. Better it not too late.
  • 3 0
 Well put...and understood!
8 months is still too short for you, to assess your recovering brain function. It will come back!
Don't stop exercising and thourough resting!

If sports have always been a big part of your life.... I believe that after an accident/injury... One should push as hard as they can to get as close to...where you once were.
You will never forgive yourself if you don't!

I'm sure that CG is the type of man who will never forgive himself if he quits...already!!
  • 8 0
 Get better, CG! We're all hoping you recover soon!
  • 8 0
 Mountain biking is not the same without Cedric Gracia.
  • 3 0
 I think he touched a very important thing with preparing area around the track as well. Just as in F1 the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna finaly triggered bigger improvements in racing safety, both the cars and the tracks. It's sad but we are not very proactive and it is the accidens that really motivate improving of safety for other riders. All the best Cedric!
  • 4 2
 Yeah CG! The guy's got to be my favourite wheelman of all time.

I broke my wrist the week after his injury... and my world fell apart! I've learnt more about riding from this video, than i ever have down at the trails.

If you ride with anybody that needs an attitude adjustment, tell them to cool the fuçk off and send them the link to this vid
  • 2 0
 I never expected so humble, quiet and deep insights from this colourful race monkey, he was portrayed to be. There is, as in many situations, more than meets the eye. You rock CG and I hope we will see you again on the race track!
  • 2 0
 Pioneer, Ambassador, Icon, Hero. Any way you look at it we all have looked up to him, by seeing him in a film or have watched him race. Seeing him fight through injury with the same passion for the sport makes him a Legend Get well soon CG
  • 2 0
 Inspirational !

I also bled internally for 3 days from a lacerated spleen,turns out there was 2.5 pints of blood in my stomach, then had doctors try to re-inflate my punctured lung with positive pressure... They eventually got it right and worked out what was wrong with me, my family and friends were watching me die and without my dad staying hot on the quacks arse I doubt I'd be here today to watch your story CG, you are the man, stay strong and keep entertaining us for years to come 8{ long live the mo !!
  • 3 0
 Hey trust me this injury happens to the best riders. He who push it the most take the biggest consiquences. CG going to ride again but race wc????? Either way he already a legend so no need to rush anything.
  • 3 0
 WE LOVE YOU CG!!! YOU WILL FOREVER BE AN ICON IN OUR SPORT. WE HOPE YOU GET BACK ON THAT STEED SOON BECASUE WE LOVE TO WATCH YOU RIDE AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO JUST GIVER'ER! HEAL FAST BROTHER!
  • 1 0
 I'll never forget the time I saw him racing the Garbonzo DH during Crankworx. In the middle of a straightaway he took turns kissing each one of his biceps, then went back to attacking and hit the next jump with more style than anyone else. He ended up wining by a ridiculous margin.
  • 1 0
 In Spring of 2002, Josh Bender and I took Cedric Gracia to ride The Flying Monkey Trail in Virgin, Utah

For those of you who have never had the privelege of riding The Flying Monkey, please allow me to describe it to you: Hurricane Mesa sits just North of the town of Virgin and the southeast end of the mesa comes out to a long point. Closely situated along the east side of the point is North Creek, which is close enough to the mesa that as it cut the deep canyon along the east side of the mesa, it washed most of the large boulders away. Over a mile away from the south side of the mesa runs the Virgin River, too far away to have removed the boulders that peeled off of the south side of Hurricane Mesa. The lower third of the east side of the point is the site of the original red Bull Rampage course, that was used for the first four years of that competition. The Flying Monkey is basically on the same type of terrain, with the same type of exposure as the Rampage course, except with television to dumptruck sized boulders all over it, as they have not been washed away from that side of the mesa, and it is also three times as much vertical as the Rampage Course. About 20% of The Monkey was benched into the hillside just one McLeod width wide. There are places near the top where I have watched riders step off of their bikes at walking speed, and their bikes ended up fifty meters below before the bikes stopped tumbling.
  • 1 0
 I had to let Josh lead, as he was the local pro. Cedric went next and I brought up the rear. Although Josh rode The Monkey almost every day and often twice a day, and Cedric had never even seen the trail before, Cedric clearly was capable of riding it much faster than Josh. Since it wouldn't have been nice to tell Josh to get out of his way on his home trail and leave him in the dust, Cedric, being the graceful gentleman that he is, merely found ways to make the trail more technical and entertaining for himself: He did big "S" turns back and forth, bunnyhopping up onto television to washer and dryer sized boulders and then banking back down to the trail, over and over and over again, as smoothly and fluidly as most of us would slalom back and forth in a concrete halfpipe at a skateboard park! I don't think that Josh had any idea what was going on behind him, but I lucked out and got a front row seat to one of the finest pieces of performance art in the history of the World!

My best wishes to Cedric for a fast and full recovery!!! Surely, at some point, he will be forced to retire from top level competition, but I have a feeling that now is not that time, and that he will use the time off of the bike as mental training and come back as tough as ever!!!!!
  • 1 0
 I had to let Josh lead, as he was the local pro. Cedric went next and I brought up the rear. Although Josh rode The Monkey almost every day and often twice a day, and Cedric had never even seen the trail before, Cedric clearly was capable of riding it much faster than Josh. Since it wouldn't have been nice to tell Josh to get out of his way on his home trail and leave him in the dust, Cedric, being the graceful gentleman that he is, merely found ways to make the trail more technical and entertaining for himself: He did big "S" turns back and forth, bunnyhopping up onto television to washer and dryer sized boulders and then banking back down to the trail, over and over and over again, as smoothly and fluidly as most of us would slalom back and forth in a concrete halfpipe at a skateboard park! I don't think that Josh had any idea what was going on behind him, but I lucked out and got a front row seat to one of the finest pieces of performance art in the history of the World!

My best wishes to Cedric for a fast and full recovery!!! Surely, at some point, he will be forced to retire from top level competition, but I have a feeling that now is not that time, and that he will use the time off of the bike as mental training and come back as tough as ever!!!!!
  • 3 1
 I have full respect for this guy and I do hope he rides again . What he rides and how he rides will be he's choice I'm shore what ever he does next will be given 100% and more
  • 2 1
 Wish you a speedy recovery, hope to see you riding soon CG! tup

Racing is dangerous, more reason that safety/emergency services should be constantly improved, this need not have been so serious

more revenue for safety please "big bike co."/ "fizzy drink inc." etc. Salute
  • 1 0
 you can race, and you can party. you race for the 100% and you party for 100%. you live your lifestyle, and its fun, but sometimes your lifestyle turns you back. also young guns are killing it, but we.. still wanna shoot. we can show, what we are, we can show whats all about!!!

cheeers, Cedric!
  • 3 0
 CG is a beast and he'll come back, mans tough as nails! dreading his retirement tho, easily the most likable rider out there!
  • 1 0
 Having had several injuries and breaks that have taken me off bikes for a while (none as serious of most guys on here), there is that point during your healing aside from the pain and immobility where you dwell many things, I found it quite difficult to deal with the mental part of healing. The doubt that it brings up about your mortality and ability can be overwhelming. Personally I wondered whether I should be riding a bike, whether I was capable, would it feel different when I got back on? Would I be able to ride as well as I did?(or better and crash less)
I can appreciate in a small way what a lot of you guys have been through. It alway makes me very proud of the sport and its particpants when one of use returns after injury to be part of our world.
I tried to condense the feeling I was trying to get across but couldn't really.
So for anyone who has suffered, whether it be your mate slipping a pedal or smashing his nuts to Cedric Gracia or Tracey Hannah. Or Gee Atherton whos crash at MSA surely must have done some damage or at least hurt like hell. I salute you all wish you good health and hope we continue you all again on a bikes for a long time to come.
  • 6 2
 Get well soon CG! Can't wait to see you riding again!
  • 2 0
 Healing vibes CG!! but damn how can do you do an interview with that stupid bitch in the background talking the whole time!?!?
  • 2 0
 absolute legend. been a big CG fan since i started riding DH and seeing edits like this only reiterate everything i thought i knew about Cedric. heal fast mate!
  • 2 0
 He has always inspired! Thanks Mr. Gracia! So many people are sending healing vibes. I hope enough so...that we all get to see him race WC once again!
  • 2 0
 I have followed CG for a long time, when he got hurt I thought that was it Should have known better CG never gives in CG will be the showman he has always been
  • 1 0
 cedric is my hero! still have the pictures of my random ass norco he signed for me, i was just a kid and he was so nice and all about it when i asked him even right in the midst of sea otter madness
  • 1 0
 Still a legend. Great to see you're up and about Cedric and remaining so positive - a real inspiration for all those who get injured doing what they love. Can't wait till you're on the bike again!
  • 2 0
 Great to see you on the mend, get well soon.

...er, can I have your bike til you do Wink
  • 3 1
 So his front brake is fault for everything, shit thats annoying i wonder what was his mechanic reaction
  • 15 0
 it's probbly not the mechanic fault, shit happens...
  • 4 1
 Agreed. But if I were his mechanic I would be putting all the blame on myself being that They work on it for a living. Shit does happen though.
  • 3 0
 put yourself in a pro mechanics position and realize they have a huge amount of work and mistakes are inevitable
  • 1 0
 I make aircraft components for a living, and sometimes, despite rigorous quality control during manufacturing and routine scheduled inspections and maintenance during operation, shit happens and 300 people die a fiery death or drowned in the north atlantic. I dont lose any sleep over it because there is nothing you can do to prevent absolutely every possible problem. whether its a trailside stump or a cheap chinese brakeline. Prend soin de toi et reviens en force quand vous etes prets, CG!
  • 1 0
 This is off topic but I see your point Roverdover. However you aren't the last person to touch the component before the plane takes flight, so I wouldn't lose sleep either. But in this case, the mechanics are the last ones to tweak the bikes before they're ridden.
  • 3 0
 Remets-toi vite cedric !!!
  • 3 0
 Poor guy... Def he deserves a good recovery
  • 3 0
 CG no matter what you do next, you are still a legend of Mountain Biking
  • 2 0
 Find legend in a dictionary and his name will be next to it. Get well soon CG!!!
  • 2 0
 Cedric is such an inspiration to ride with style and overcome obstacles, he's amazing.
  • 2 0
 CG you're an animal! Get healed and wheeled soon- love seeing you ride! Legendary!!
  • 3 0
 That man is harder than Granite...get well soon !!
  • 3 0
 CG, we are all behind you !
  • 3 0
 Muchos HUEVOS hombre
  • 2 0
 Great interview! CG is always going to be apart of the sport. Heal up!
  • 1 0
 He said he records everything.. CG, we need to see this video! Healing Vibes you Winner!
  • 1 0
 ive had my brake fail on me once, the back one, i was lucky it was after the g-out
  • 2 1
 get well soon crazy french man!
  • 3 1
 CG est l'homme!
  • 2 1
 Reviens en force Cédric! on veux revoir le maître au MSA!
  • 3 1
 CG the fucking legend
  • 3 1
 Coolest Guy
  • 1 0
 CG is a badass dude. I hope to be able to watch him race next season.
  • 2 0
 CG, get well soon!
  • 1 0
 CG is awesome! youll be back in no time man!
  • 2 0
 Respect.
  • 1 0
 I think that, age is some thing to take into account...
  • 1 0
 With all due respect to the most complete ever rider in MTB History age does pass its bill sooner or later, at the same time, all that experience might have saved him from much larger damage. CG will be partying with bike and girls at 80 so take your time to heal and we all here wish you the best. Saludos Amigo.
  • 1 0
 I agree with you in general terms, but you are talking about CG attitude and experience, in that sense, totally agree, but unfortunately, age is age.

CG may have the same desire to win or whatever at the age of 40 or 50 than 20 years, but simply, his reflexes, his eyesight, his muscles, his brain and so on, are not the same as if he was 20 years, it is the way life is...
and I think that 40 years old, or older, and extreme or professional DH racing are a bit uncompatible. As a hobby or for fun under your risk limits, ok, but doing that profesionally being pressed by the chrono in a race by 20 year old people behind you... I think it can be a bit dangerous as you are going to take on more risks that you can afford...I think there is an age for everything, and DH and over 40... I do not see it, but of course this is my humble pinion as a non pro at all




With all my respect and admiration to CG, who is, on the other hand, a great person. I had the opportunity to see him in Vallnord bike park last year and he was a completely normal rider, like any one else that day, even he said to a friend of mine "come with me for a downhill track and I will show you some triks of the trail"

Un saludo!!
  • 1 0
 All the best CG. hope you have a speedy recovery.
  • 1 0
 Can't wait to see you ride again, CG! Healing vibes to ya!
  • 1 0
 gutted for you dude hope you do ride again very soon
  • 1 0
 Keep fighting CG, your fans will always support u what ever you do!
  • 1 0
 cedric's my hero.... is the boss of mtb
  • 1 0
 Get well soon to see you back in the race, CG.
  • 1 0
 Cedric, I'm really happy to see that you're doing better. Keep on going Smile
  • 1 0
 CG like a boss! Get ridin soon man!
  • 1 0
 Bon retablissement Cedric!
  • 2 0
 Get well soon CG!
  • 1 0
 Made props CG!!!! And you need to come kick it with us in the states!!!!
  • 1 0
 50 pieces - WTF? Get well soon!
  • 1 0
 So intense and so patient! Get well soon man.
  • 1 0
 Class Act! You're a good man Cedric. Get Well Soon! (we know you will)
  • 1 0
 YOU DA MAN CEDRIC!
  • 1 0
 All the best 4 CG!!!
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv42 0.034663
Mobile Version of Website