i was diagnosed with ptsd in non bike related case. it's amazing how therapy can put your mind onto the right tracks so don't be ashamed to ask somebody for help if you feel like something's not right!
What a story. I am thankful it did not need to end with him conquering the jump. Being able to put the experience behind him and to be able to come to a place of peace with it is perhaps the more courageous and meaningful accomplishment.
Tommo, you are an inspiration in your attitude, resilience and gratitude. Thank you for sharing your journey and I especially loved the great anecdote about the one in a million story from the lady you met (if she hasn't seen this film already, wouldn't it be so cool if she did somehow?). I am flabbergasted at how you made such an incredible comeback despite the countless odds stacked against you.
This film is touching and deeply inspiring. I bet it will help far more people than you may ever realise. Bravo to you, your support team and the team behind the film!
I will remember your line "this fight comes from you" for a long time!
Glad you re happy again now Tommo! for a second i thought you wanted to jump this damn gap again... its a good decision not to! you dont have anything to prove,to anybody. Take care mate
I got my shoulder injured in October last year and I was only diagnosed a week ago, surgery is scheduled in half a year from now. I can barely ride a bike on the trails at the moment and don't see myself ever getting back to mountain biking the way I used to ride. I don't see myself getting back my confidence to jump anything and my crash was pretty minor. Can't imagine recovering from a crash like that and getting back to riding, what a guy.
Bud, I’m recovering from a bicep tear and rotator cuff injury myself. Treatment and surgery was pretty speedy but I can thank the military for that. Don’t give up, I’m sure you’ll work your way back to riding the way you did or close enough to still enjoy it tons. I could not ride right after the injury, even sold my bike cause I thought my season was over, but physio got me well enough and back on a bike to finish the season riding with my kids before getting surgery. Don’t despair, better days are coming.
I tore my kneecap off, recovery took 4 years, but I am riding bikes like before and feel way more blessed about riding bikes than I ever have. You'll get back, might take awhile, but I gather you will have as much fun as you ever did.
@rexoos: BUY A CRYOTHERAPY MACHINE before your surgery date. ask your surgeon and other shoulder surgery patients about preparing for recovery. specifically ask about how you are going to sleep. get a PT appointment and ask your PT about preparing for and recovering from the surgery.
@ericls: i had surgery to remove a tumor in my thigh last year , along with my femoral nerve. This nerve wont grow back and my leg will never be the same as it buckles easily. I literally cant shred bikes anymore ..i also built diesel wolf, popular double black that actually flows right into this train jump . Ill probably never be able to ride the trail i built in 2016.Hope that puts things in perspective for whoever reads this.
If you feel you can barely ride at the moment from the injury then just stop until you have the surgery. I know from personal experience that trying to do something your body isn't fully capable of often ends in more tears. Just wait, get yourself healed and find other ways of being happy. We live in a beautiful world and there is a lot of joy out there.
Hope you heal well
@Gobble-de-Goop1: i think you misunderstood my injury. i have healed from my surgery , it was last year. my injury is a missing femoral nerve . it will never regrow. perhaps look into how important the femoral nerve is for leg strength. my leg buckles very easily. i cannot jump, jog, kick . it basically holds and uses your quad muscle . ive lost function of my quad muscle and this nerve cannot be replaced or regrow. but i appreciate your nice words. the world is beautiful and i will have to find new passions like white water kayaking , because mountain biking will never be what it was to me.
It gets better mate. Those strong emotions fade with time. Last autumn I raptured my pectoralis major tendon in a freak trials motorcycle accident. I did have surgery to fix it. For a while I didn't want to see a bike again, but a few weeks back I got back on my MTB and it feels so great. Things happen, not everything can be predicted, but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying the activities you love.
@DHsender4life: many don’t want to accept the reality of a life changing injury. I’m in the middle of one myself, but it’s more unknown and less final than yours at present time. Still, this fight is in you. It may be the fight to adapt, the fight to find joy in another sport, the fight to forgive fate for what it did to your leg. Your battle is real and only you understand it. Don’t waste energy here. You are responsible for figuring out what “send for life” means now, I hope you find a way to inspire yourself again.
@Mtmw: thanks man. My current inspiration is to beat cancer. Looks like this is happening with immunotherapy drugs im on. This experience has made me wanna get into white kayaking and golf . Ive had a good run of 20 plus years of shredding my mountain bike . Cant complain about that . All the best to you buddy
@DHsender4life: I think those other comments were directed at Rexoos' original comment that started this thread, not commenting on your injury. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of function you've suffered. It sounds like you've got the right idea finding new passions to follow. All the best in your path forward. You've got this.
@coffeepoop42069: ahh yea that makes sense. Funny how pinkbike does that to my dashboard making it seem its directed to me. I dont comment very often on pinkbike but i get it meow . And yea thanks man for those nice words man appreciate it . Looks like im on the right path to beating cancer
Currently out with a shattered kneecap from a snowboarding accident. Surgery was mid December and I'll be lucky to get back on a bike by July. Four screws holding all the pieces together. I have similar PTSD from my accident, still can't sleep if I think about the moment of impact.
@DHsender4life: No worries. I have made the same mistake myself Just read your original post. It's an unfortunate situation you are in, but as you said there are other hobbies and outlets to explore. I had to stop mountain biking and doing any other sports for about 5 years due to an auto-immune condition that caused inflammation in my knees and knuckles. Traveled to 3 different countries, met 10+ doctors and none of them could provide a clear diagnosis and treatment plan. At that point all my focus was just on getting well and the fact that I couldn't ride my bike anymore wasn't really important. Just wanted to get my life back, since this condition had an impact on my work and my family life, not just my hobbies. Luckily I managed to find a connection between my condition and my gut health. These days I can manage it fairly ok with diet. As my health improved, some hobbies came back, which was nice. For now you have more important things to focus on. When the time comes, you will find things to do. MTB might not be an option anymore, but there are so many other things to explore.
Tommo, you are an inspiration to anyone who has been dealt something unforeseeable. Being able to express your emotions and look for help is a true sign of courage and strength, especially as a father. To see you outriding your friends now is amazing and the smiles from your passion and being a parent made this a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing such a deep emotional journey through this. Cheers!
Wow,that was way more of everything I expected.
From the brutal footage of the crash to the struggles of rehab and ptsd,to the life he's living today.
That was more Must Watch than most of the other Must Watch videos,big props to Tommo,his friends and everyone that helped him back on track.
I had my jaw shattered and broken in four places. They cut my shattered jaw joint out and put a steel plate with 6 pins to keep it together. My mouth was wired shut for almost 8 weeks. I know the hatred for blended foods. Chocolate banana milkshakes make me sick just hink about them.
Tommo you are a brave man to share your story and your struggles. So much macho young testosterone on this site, it is refreshing to hear your words. Thank you. Father hood, in any form, also changes your point of view. Be well!
Tommo seems to be a great person and did a hell of journey physically and mentally last 3 years. @Tommo, please never try that again and never share the full video of the crash. Also I guess it must have been so traumatic for the first aider.
Falling off the drop is something horrible and then struggling with your body and mind... Unfortunately I know something about it. Thankfully he is already fine and riding bike again. Take care!
I fell off a roof in 2009, smashed my vertebrae and constant pain since then. I know that feeling when you are falling, that split second that you go this is going to hurt bad.
There's a clear run-in and there's no shortage of people describing the speed to hit it so he probably would have been fine if he committed. It appears he was going for it, changed his mind far too late and tried to stop. That's the worst thing you can do and its by sure luck he didn't die. If you're not confident enough in your skills to ensure you're going to fully commit, then its not something you have any business in attempting.
@scott-townes: @scott-townes: Here is an example of an over confident person, who has no idea what happened, but is still giving a detailed explanation to a 5010 rider about skills and commitment. Enough PB for the week.
Having done it, it's a rather good run in. Took me two speed checks in to feel comfortable.
The gap itself was not much different to some of the larger features in the bikepark, just a lot riskier as this video shows.
As well, the first time I was going for it, just before the spot where Tom clipped his pedal, my derailleur got sucked into the rear wheel and locked it up. I was lucky to catch the tree to the left of the take off only breaking my scaphoid. I was dumb enough to try it again later that day, and clear it successfully. Had I heard of Tom's story, maybe my risk vs reward would have changed my perspective.
It goes to show even when you're confident in your abilities, at the last moment something can always go wrong.
Luckily Tom was able to overcome the injuries, and could share his experience, I couldn't imagine going back to the spot after his recovery.
@blankty: What is the size of the gap (I did Google first, didn't see an answer). I have hit reasonably big stuff, but can't imagine I would be able to get my mind around that much risk.
@JSTootell: Never measured it, but if I had to guess was probably 30-40ft out and 10-15ft drop depending how deep you landed. If you've ever ridden Crabapple hits feels very similar in size to those.
The run in was some what gradual, but gave you plenty of time to get up to speed.
For some reason I always thought this train gap was in Pemberton. Like at the end of Diesel Wolf maybe? Is this something different in Whistler, or am I just out to lunch?
This is absolutely Diesel Wolf in Pemberton. I think the video just calls it "Whistler" because that's the nearest place most people will have heard of.
I wanted to look at the trail on Trailforks again but it appears they've deleted it. But TF still has a page for Remy Metaillier's video of riding the trail, including this train gap: www.trailforks.com/video/35295
Life is short and everyone’s days are numbered. Get right now while you can with the only begotten Son of God JESUS Christ who loves you, died for your sins, and rose again. Ask Christ into your heart now while you have the chance: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” — Romans 10:13
But life has more meaning than playing.
It’s so good to see him doing well.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
lifes good (:
peace out
This film is touching and deeply inspiring. I bet it will help far more people than you may ever realise. Bravo to you, your support team and the team behind the film!
I will remember your line "this fight comes from you" for a long time!
for a second i thought you wanted to jump this damn gap again... its a good decision not to! you dont have anything to prove,to anybody. Take care mate
@Tommo, please never try that again and never share the full video of the crash.
Also I guess it must have been so traumatic for the first aider.
Take care!
"Anyone of us"!
Tough story - hope the healing process continues and great to see the fam.
Glad that Bear didn't turn on them during his return trip!!
The run in was some what gradual, but gave you plenty of time to get up to speed.
Not sure if I would do it still, but at least it seems less insane.
Thanks for the response.
I wanted to look at the trail on Trailforks again but it appears they've deleted it. But TF still has a page for Remy Metaillier's video of riding the trail, including this train gap: www.trailforks.com/video/35295
All the down votes - your not very good at this stuff. Delete your account?