danger13

@T-Bird89: Unfortunately that just isn't true. Even young people get cancer, have heart problems, etc... I think you should live your life because tomorrow isn't guaranteed to any of us.

@pmhobson: My point was really that you don't get to pick your life circumstances. I have known several people who expired from illness or accident. Have you considered that driving your car is an activity more dangerous than most of my outdoors sports? Being an older guy I read the obituaries all the time. If you had a similar habit you would know that a great many people drop dead in their 60s. The vast majority of them never intentionally put themselves in harms way, but circumstances just caught up with them. I've lived my life to the fullest extent I could, I recently retired and I'm going to keep it up as long as I can.

@Woody25: I have never been the healthiest guy, I got the last rites when I was 5 and nearly died from pneumonia. I haven't gone a whole year without suffering an illness or injury that required hospitalization, and many of those incidents could have happened to anyone. I was the big sissy out of my group of friends, so I never thought of myself as a daredevil, but I loved outdoors sports and got to do a lot of great things. Remember, bad things happen to everyone regardless of their activity level. A doctor told me I needed to take it easier when I was 12, if I had taken his advice I'd probably already be dead from heart disease. Instead I had a great life, and I'm going to keep it up as long as possible.

@The-Foiling-Optimist: I've been knocked unconscious 20+ times, and seen stars hundreds of times, so I couldn't rule myself out for having CTE. I got so busted up about 3 years ago that it was extremely difficult for me to walk a mile on flat ground. After my motorcycle accident this year I almost lost one of my feet, now I can barely walk at all. So, in many ways my situation is not dissimilar to those guys, but they had some element in their makeup that led them to suicide. I was a very athletic, competitive guy, but I don't equate my competitive drive with theirs. I'm sure any of the guys mentioned are light years beyond a guy like me. I think that extremely driven people don't measure themselves against others, but instead are competing against an idealized image they have of themselves. Maybe what made them great destroyed them in the end.

@panthermodern: I'm 68, and I've endured more than 40 surgeries, most of which involved the aftermath of a big fall, some riding, some skateboarding, some snowboarding, etc... The most recent was a big motorcycle accident that left me in the hospital for 2 1/2 months, then another 6 weeks in a nursing home, then United Health Care decided I didn't need anymore help, so they sent me home with both my hands in casts, as well as my right lower leg. I couldn't put any weight at all on 3 of my limbs, and since I live alone it was quite an ordeal. The reason I told my story was to highlight the similarities between myself and the riders you named. What I'm curious about is, well, I never once thought about killing myself because I was busted up. I wonder how they couldn't look past today to what tomorrow holds. I can't walk too well, but I might hook up with the hottest woman in the world tomorrow, and who knows, some medical breakthrough might improve my condition. You just don't know. I'm wondering if all the guys you mentioned had pre-existing mental issues that led them astray.

How soon will we see a winner using multiple specialized bikes? Leadville would lend itself perfectly to such a tactic. I've ridden it 6 or 7 times and was kind of surprised that no one was trying it. It may not be permitted under the rules, that I don't know, but for someone who wanted the record it seems like it would give you an advantage.

@jeremy3220: RIP: Ernie

I thought #13 was the head slap stop of the day...

I winced when I saw him reach back to check his broken pelvis. Good luck, good buddy!

@IntoTheEverflow: apparently Charlie Kirk has risen from the grave...