Norco Race Division Updates on Greg Minnaar & Lucas Cruz's Injuries

May 9, 2024 at 8:54
by Sarah Moore  
Greg Minnaar getting up to speed on his Norco


The Norco Race Division has just shared updated on Greg Minnaar's shoulder injury and Lucas Cruz's broken femur. Cruz is unsure when his return to racing will be, while Minnaar is hoping to delay surgery for now and get back to racing as soon as possible.


bigquotesA little update on the last couple days. I managed to go see Lucas in Inverness on Sunday night as well as get my shoulder X-rayed. The initial prognosis was a grade 4 separation of my shoulder with some shards of bone hanging around the AC joint. I managed to get to a shoulder specialist down in Manchester on Tuesday and had a better look and it seems like it’s a grade 3 separation with some shards of bone hanging around the joints. So I’m just going to push forward. I don’t think surgery is needed just yet, if I want to carry on racing this season I need to to push on so that’s the plan. Hopefully we can be racing in Poland but I’ll know more on the weekend. I’ll probably try and ride Saturday or Sunday and see how the shoulder feels. It’s never an easy one, I think the pain that shot through my shoulder caused the second crash and that’s what happens with the separation. It’s a feeling I’ve felt before and an injury I’ve had a couple times so hopefully I can get back racing as soon as possible.—Greg Minnaar

You can see the first of Minnaar's two crashes during his Fort William race run below.




bigquotesI was released from hospital on Tuesday after a successful surgery! The pain is pretty severe right now but they say I can fully weight bear as soon as I want. I’ve already been doing stairs up and down, going for walks etc. Of course you can’t help but think about the next race I’ll be at but at this point I’m just taking this rehab very seriously in every way so that I can be back with the team doing what I love. Thank you everyone for the support especially my one of a kind team @norcoracedivision for standing by me with this recovery. We have all bases covered and I can’t wait to see everyone soon!—Lucas Cruz

More details on Cruz's badly broken femur below from Team Manager Alan Milway.



We wish both riders all the best with their recoveries and hope to see the Norco Race Division back to full strength before too long.

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95 Comments
  • 101 1
 Racing in two weeks with a grade 3 AC separation and some breakage is... nuts. Greg you are a beast if you can push through it, best of luck. I messed up my shoulder like that about 4 years ago, I was off the bike for 3 months.
  • 88 0
 To be fair, you probably made the ideal decision for your shoulder and long term health - assuming that racing bikes isn't your full time job. Smile
  • 4 11
flag cien147 FL (May 9, 2024 at 9:06) (Below Threshold)
 Greg is the GOAT!!!! He can race with a leg broken ahaha
  • 22 1
 @KJP1230: Did you just assume my.... yeah actually you are totally right haha. Surgery and PT, gingerly back on a back in 3 months, actually send it in 5. I also had like, 0.5% of the base level conditioning and skill that Greg has.
  • 28 0
 If he was still on Syndicate I wonder if he'd make the same decision to push and come back so quickly. I'm not Troy McClure, but it doesn't sound like a great idea.
  • 5 0
 I just had a grade 1, a week ago. I'll be happy if I can ride my gravel bike next week but I doubt it
  • 2 0
 Yeah man, I had a grade 5 shoulder separation and i elected to have surgery, Still not sure what was the right decision to make. I can't imagine riding two weeks later let alone racing.
  • 16 0
 same same, AC separation grade 4 (grade 3 + rearward displacement), 4 years ago, same age as Greg and f*ck me if I was able to even wipe my ass 1 week later before the surgery, let alone ride a bike

Also my bike was stolen from my car last saturday, so this week I feel like one more of the boys in WCDH lol
  • 4 0
 Yeah. I found a shoulder separation to be pretty friggin painful. I was off the bike for months too. I don't know how these DH and Moto guys deal with it. Tough as nails.
  • 2 0
 @skiboot1: give it time to heal. I’ve done similar to both shoulders over the years. I still get pain.
  • 3 0
 Yeah I had a grade 3 separation (tore both AC and Scapular ligaments) in a snowboard crash back in 2018. I started riding again that April but wasn't fully 100% for almost a year (no surgery). I didn't have any bone fragments either. I did tons of PT and strengthening, though riding bikes isn't my job, so I didn't have a financial incentive to get back to it, but still, I can't imagine trying to race a downhill world cup two weeks post injury. At that point I could barely lift my arm past horizontal.
  • 1 0
 Greg is tough, no doubt, but he's getting paid to do this....we are not, we have the luxury of taking time off and healing properly. Lots of athletes push body to the point they can't enjoy sport anymore but thankfully we don't "NEED" too, although guys certainly do.

Pro athletes also have luxury of steroids like Cortizone and other anti inflammatory aids, maybe certain pain meds, infrared therapy, oxygen therapy and all the other stuff we don't have the same access too.
  • 10 2
 Greg is the Chuck Norris of MTB.
  • 6 0
 I couldn't sleep on that side for 4 months - these guys are wired different.
  • 4 0
 @suspended-flesh: I still cannot sleep on that side, 4 years and a surgery later. It's good day to day but I pretty much shattered the end of the clavicle while separating the AC, it had to be reconstructed. My wife obliged and let us switch sides of the bed indefinitely.
  • 2 0
 I did what Ended up being a grade 5 last sept riding Nekos “death track” at rock creek. Weird injury. It looked freakish like I had the coat hanger in my shirt but didn’t hurt badly at all. Ended up riding 2 more days on it and when I got home got 4 opinions and they all said get surgery. so I did. The doc used cadaver ligaments to strap er back down and no metal. Post surgery hurt like a bitch. Took 2 months off bike after surgery and was riding proper dh again in 3 months. I guess everybody is different but the actual injury didn’t really affect my ability to ride. Anyhow gutted to see both these guys get hurt. Hope Greg can rally. We are the same age and that blows my mind. Dude is a beast.
  • 3 0
 @RadBartTaylor: its not a matter of money, and cortizone isnt exacly hard to come by, nor is toradol. I am gregs age, and 2 weeks after the same injury i was sooooooo far from race pace on a bike, with all the best meds and healing at my disposal
  • 2 0
 @skiandmtbdirtbag: I broke my collar bone and was told to hang back, the surgeon was good rider and a buddy and he said if I was getting paid to ride he'd take a different course of action to get back on the bike sooner. It's not hard to come by but it's not exactly prescribed, IME, unless there is a good use case for it. I'm a bit older than both of you guys, not much, and for me it's less about the physical stuff and more about getting back into it mentally, especially at the pointy end of the stick.
  • 3 0
 @KJP1230: wish I would have thought that way when I was racing. Started racing about 3-4wks out and definitely should have waited, no surgery and just kept racing and riding. It took forever to heal and at times would wake me up in tears from the pain. Greg's the man, but hearing about the bone shards are not good. That could potentially hurt equally or worse than the separation depending on size and location. Got a chunk floating in my wrist and when stuff moves just right it kills my grip strength a lot just from the pain. Getting old sucks, rest and repair the injuries young guns.
  • 2 0
 I wish Greg would just heal and come back ready. Don’t push the injury.
  • 1 0
 @skiandmtbdirtbag: flip a coin - i had a grade 5 as well, and the orthopedic surgeon talked me out of surgery... i did lots of physio and rode about 10 weeks later, but mellow and then took the winter off. my shoulder looks ugly (step defect) but it only really bothers me in the cold if I'm carrying a ski pack. I'm ok with my decision, 15 years on.
  • 1 0
 @Dustfarter: The faster it gets back, the less painful and shorter it is
  • 1 0
 @shredddr: doctors do this because of the risk/reward ratio. Conservative treatment can get you 85-90% good without any of the risks asociated to surgery, so they play safe. Now, if you want the best result possible, surgery is the way.
  • 1 0
 @iiman: do wonder if this one is an age thing, I have been relatively injury free in 20+ yrs riding then hit 40 and separate both shoulders within 12months of each other. I have private health but they really pushed the physio route on both
  • 2 0
 @iiman: My buddy is an orthopedic surgeon, and his advice was against surgery unless entirely necessary (impingement, bone fragments, massive displacement, etc). Surgery doesn't guarantee a 100% return to strength and mobility and can actually extend the healing time and exacerbate the long-term issues if the patient isn't diligent with rehab and ongoing PT.
  • 2 0
 @BermJunky: thanks man, it's f*cking brutal. All the doctors in the Kootenay's are so worried about making more junkies out of people they don't want to give any real pain medication to me. Might try another hospital today...
  • 2 0
 @MikeGruhler: Correct. Clearly not the same degree of injury, but I recently developed a bit of tendinitis in my shoulder from weight lifting. Of course, I "pushed through" for about 2 months before stopping and seeing a doctor and PT. As they both put it, "If you had stopped right away, we could've had you back to 100% within 4 weeks. But you didn't so now it'll take closer to 3-4 months."

Important to remember that the world is absolutely not going to end, and you're not going to lose much strength, endurance, athleticism if you stop right away and rehabilitate most injuries. An ounce of early intervention is worth a pound of cure.
  • 1 0
 @shredddr: Yeah I agree - I had the surgery and my shoulder is 99%, with no issues with a pack, but I don't know if it was worth the absolute misery of having a hook plate in there that screwed my rotator cuff.
  • 1 0
 @iiman: sometimes the best surgeon keeps his knife in his pocket
  • 3 0
 @skiboot1: I was able to get by with just ibuprofen after day 1. Sleeping was the hardest part, but propping myself up on pillows and dosing myself with advil and melatonin helped. I also live in a state with legal weed, so that was nice too. f*ck opioids.
  • 1 0
 @iiman: that suxxxx!
  • 1 0
 @iiman: LOL. I'm sorry to hear and all but thanks for the laugh.
  • 1 0
 @skiboot1: For a grade 1 you could look into a neoprene brace like this one, it may give you the stability you need. www.evs-sports.com/collections/mtb-support-braces/products/sb02-shoulder-support?variant=42221468909766
  • 81 0
 I don’t think Norco’s season could have started off much worse than this.
Disappointing for everyone involved.
That’s racing.
Heal up quickly.
  • 41 1
 Well, they've already won a hardline with gracey...
  • 4 29
flag therealmancub (May 9, 2024 at 9:47) (Below Threshold)
 @f*cktoryteam: any race without the caricatures is a W in my book...
  • 49 0
 Just let me know if I need to fill in for next round. I replaced my frame bearing recently on my shore and feeling extra fast-ish.
  • 14 0
 Im 43, which is pretty close in age to Greg, so I can take his spot so he can get the surgery done. Sounds like between the two of us, we got this!
  • 13 0
 @rallyimprezive: I have almost 10 years more experience than Greg and you, I think I‘m the better replacement.
  • 31 1
 Lots of money spent on this team, only to have their two male riders get injured in the first race and Gracey didnt make finals. Hopefully they can turn it around in Poland.
  • 18 0
 If only they read your username before heading out to the fort haha
  • 10 0
 Damn throw Kirk under the bus.
  • 1 0
 @j-t-g: Kirk is a Trials rider hahah. JK go Kirk!
  • 20 0
 Has anyone enhanced the WB sputnik satellite footage of the first crash yet?
  • 2 0
 Haha, that's pretty accurate Big Grin
  • 11 0
 That's too bad, certainly not the start we where all hoping for. A testament to how hard these folks are pushing though. Heal up fast team, we are behind you and hope for a speedy recovery!
  • 7 0
 It Would be cool If they fill the Space of Lucas with a new talent, like Santa cruz did with Olly davies.. I can Make a new cartoon for him for free, i have the skills to draw in the style..
  • 9 1
 Greg MinArrrrrrrrgh that hurt.
  • 3 1
 Too soon...
  • 7 0
 Maybe Norco could pick up some privateers, give them temporary full ride while while Greg and Luca are out
  • 4 0
 Really hope Greg doesn't race with a fucked up shoulder. Health is more important than results, especially when your career is as established as Gregs. He doesn't need to prove anything
  • 6 0
 Jesus, that's not a happy start to the season for a new team. Frown
  • 7 1
 I'm here for the expert medical advice from the PB panel.
  • 2 0
 I had a full sternoclavacular joint dislocation a couple years ago. The ER diagnosed it as a broken collar bone gave me some pain meds, cheap shoulder sling and sent me home. The bulge below my neck was the size of a golf ball still I visited an orthopedic shoulder surgeon who had seen my x-rays ahead of my visit from the ER. He too almost sent me home without looking under my shirt. Before leaving the room I asked about the bulge under my neck and pulled my shirt down. His jaw dropped and he informed me I would need to see a specialist. Finally I got to see a doctor who could fix it. Using cadaver tendons he put it all back together and was nice enough to airdrop a video of the surgery to me. 3 months of rest before my first ride. 1 year to feel sturdy and ride hard. 2 years now I feel fast again (Strava disagrees)
  • 5 0
 This is a bummer. I hope they both heal up.
  • 6 0
 Tape him on the bike.
  • 5 0
 Santa Cruz and Norco DH elite men both have not the most ideal start…
  • 3 0
 Thankfully there are people filming trackside with their phones to make up for the poor race coverage. Maybe Discovery can crowdsource the coverage.
  • 1 0
 Any of you guys ever get a shoulder fracture from mtb? Seems like it's usually collarbone breaks. I got a minor shoulder impaction fracture back in December going off a new rock drop a friend had shown me, front tire got wedged between two rocks and I torpedoed directly into a giant boulder lmao. Left side of my face had road rash and immediately could tell my left arm was messed up. Got x rays then a sling for a month. I'm still iffy around super rocky sections. Crashing into the dirt and weeds isn't bad but rocks are hard I found out.
  • 1 0
 I tore my rotator cuff this spring from tripping over my bike after taking a photo on the trail! Didn't even get a good story out of such a dumb bike injury! Had an MRI and doc said it was a pretty good tear, but told me not to get surgery if I didn't have to. I can't imagine racing the WCDH with a glass-shoulder! I wonder what armor Greg was wearing at the time....?
  • 6 0
 Really hard part of the body to protect. I was wearing knee, back and chest
  • 1 0
 I'm sorry we all cursed them! Frown Broken femur is rough, 1 year probably. I did once. Was back on the bike in 4 months, and with pack, axe and 12-points the following year.
  • 3 0
 So bummed about this. Really want to see Greg mixing it up with the youngins on the new bike.
  • 3 0
 Bummer that shoulder pads are so un-aero and uncomfortable, seems like a common injury.
  • 6 4
 Rumor is he caught a glimpse of his caricature...
  • 2 0
 I only saw one crash, didn't know he went down twice. Yikes.
  • 3 0
 Go Kirk and Gracey!!
  • 1 0
 I can't imagine racing the WCDH with a glass-shoulder! I wonder what armor Greg was wearing at the time....?
  • 1 0
 Current fitness and health is a large part of recovery. Always be lifting!
  • 3 1
 I don't think lifting is advisable when the shoulder is that messed up
  • 3 0
 @wburnes: every day was leg day when I was in a sling.
  • 1 0
 @Struggleteam: oh, good on ya
  • 1 3
 I heartily recommend to retire the dissonant paints of the riders and the minerals from the art... if you know something about energies, rituals and magics, I can guarantee wasn't the best idea... SuperBruni knows best...
  • 1 0
 Glad you guys have Alan in your corner! Be smart and healing vibes!
  • 1 0
 sounds like they need some back up riders ,,,,,,,,anyone
  • 2 1
 where is the crash video.. c'mon, I am not googling it
  • 2 0
 Put me in coach!!!!
  • 1 4
 Good thing you had a second opinion Greg, no such thing as a grade 4 AC separation, only 3 ligaments there to explode! FEEL BETTER SOON!! Always rooting for ya! As for Cruz's Femur, Yikes! Lots of patience!!!
  • 3 0
 There's actually the possibility of a grade 6 although it's very rare. Depends on the clavicular displacement. It's a newer scale called the Rockwood.
  • 3 0
 Greg Miinaar is so tough they had to invent a higher class of injury so he even considers slowing down.
  • 2 0
 It’s the gap created that they grade not the
Number of ligaments torn. Grade 6 usually means the bone came through the skin.
  • 1 0
 I don't think you understand what goes into determining the grade of an AC joint injury....
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