Darren Butler Update

Well, it’s been just over a year now since I had my terrible accident, August 26th. I have some good news…here it is:I still suffer quite a bit of pain, especially at the end of a day on my feet. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of mobility and balance. Most mornings, I move around the house like an ancient aching man. After about an hour of stretching and blood flow, things start to feel pretty good. Once I get into this realm, I have to go with it until the day is done. If I’m up and at ‘em for a good portion of the day, and then sit down, I need another hour to get warmed up again.

For a few months now, I have been feeling pretty good in terms of overall strength and balance. I have almost given in to the urge to go and try riding some trails. I absolutely DO NOT want to rush back and face the consequences for the rest of my life. So over the last few months, instead of venturing into the woods, I’ve been putting in some serious miles on my road bike. I want to make sure I’m good and strong, and have a good level of conditioning under my belt before getting too carried away. This patience is beginning to reveal rewards.

Last Sunday, I attended the Whistler Bike Park with the intentions of having a mellow day on B-Line. Well, we did our warm-up run down B-Line, followed by a second to make sure we were good and loose. Well, on our second, we managed to get lost and end up on some trail that seemed to carry us right out of the Bike Park. We stuck with it and eventually came across A-Line. Riding with my bros from Invermere, I let them go ahead down A-Line, after assuring them I’d just meet up and the next junction or opening to see how it felt.

Well, at first things were bumpy and pretty abrasive, but then I remembered what all those bumps are from…brakes. So at first I was going slow, and taking a beating for it. Slowly, as I began to gain confidence and I started to let my bike run (2003 Norco 4by). A-Line feels so much better when you let go of the brakes, as you know. So at first, I was tail tapping and manualling the jumps, which got better and better, until I finally got up the confidence to go for tranny. So I went for it, and things actually felt really good. I started to gain confidence and some good flow over the next 4 or 5 jumps only to pop out of the woods and find my friends waiting for me. So, I sprayed them all with some good ‘ol fashioned dirt and took off down A-Line, this time leading the brigade. When we finally met up at the bottom, they asked how it went, and I think my smile told the tale.

So for the rest of the day we rode A-Line, Dirt Merchant, Schleyer and Clown Shoes, followed by the Biker cross, and of course the Fun-Box and the Wall-ride. I ended up sitting out one run by choice, but I think I still managed to get in 9 or 10 runs. One thing I didn’t do all day were the drops, which will still need some time before feeling solid on. However, at the end of the day, I finally did jump up and down off of the Fun-Box and boost the wall-ride rather large. Man, did that ever feel good!!!!! So after finally boosting off the wall at a level I was happy with, I pulled the plug and called it a day. What a day it was!!! One year with out trail riding, then getting to ride Whistler is quite the feeling.

I have managed to make it to Whistler one more time this week. I had another excellent day, full of fun and feeling pretty good with my girlfriend Kelli. So I’ve now pulled off two days in Whistler without going down or even dabbing, and I’ve got to say, things are feeling pretty good. I’ve still got lots of work to do to get back to 100%, but you’re going to have to literally beat the grin off of my face.

So here we are in September, and I’m now enrolled in school at Robson Square (UBC, downtown Vancouver) taking Multimedia. I will devote my fall, winter and spring to my education and hopefully an expanded career. I am feeling very confident in my abilities on a bike, and I feel all of the patience, hard work, and most importantly, support from the mountain bike community is bearing fruit.

I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your support and encouragement, and I WILL see you all on the trails in 2004!!!!!

One REAL happy rider,
DarrenB