Mountain biker seriously injured in massive Breck Epic crash shares details of his recovery journey

2024 Breck Saga It ended on a somber note for all the cyclists participating in the race.

After five days of exciting races, the sixth and final stage 16 August Durango’s Howard Grotts came to an abrupt halt when he crashed into a tree about a mile from the finish line.

Grotts, who was leading the professional men’s overall standings and chasing Matt Pike for the final stage win, hit the tree with such force that he hugged it and then lost consciousness.

Shortly after the crash, several cyclists, including Lasse Konecny ​​of Breckenridge, approached Grotts and noticed that he was not moving.

Realizing that the situation was dire, cyclists in the men’s professional field stopped their races so they could assist in emergencies by applying life-saving techniques, notifying race organizers or sending first responders to the area.

Thanks to the quick response from everyone involved, Grotts was airlifted to a hospital in Denver for further care. With race results shaken by the mid-race emergency, the professional men’s field came together and decided to neutralize the Stage 6 results in fairness to Grotts and the drivers who stopped to help.

At the hospital, Grotts discovered he had a broken collarbone; removed his right ring finger; compression, transverse and shear fractures occurred in numerous vertebrae; his first and second ribs were broken; He suffered a broken shoulder blade and a serious concussion.

Due to the extent of his injuries, Grotts spent a week in hospital, where he went under the knife twice. Grotts underwent spinal fusion surgery at the T4 and T11 vertebrae, followed by a plate insertion into his collarbone.

After all the surgeries were completed, Grotts spent a week in a rehab hospital, where he learned how to recover from all his injuries with a neck brace. Three weeks after the accident, Grotts returned to Durango.

“I was in the neck brace for another six weeks and occasionally doing (physical therapy) while in the neck brace,” Grotts said. “I do (physical therapy) twice a week now. Just slow. “Honestly, when I look back, I can see where I am and realize I’ve come a long way.”

One of the most frustrating things Grotts had to face during his recovery was not being able to move as much as he did before the accident.

Grotts, a professional mountain biker sponsored by Specialized, has spent his career hitting the trails every day and pushing his body. Suddenly not being able to train and move like I had for years, there was some adjustment and mental acceleration.

“We started with quarter-mile walks and went from there,” Grotts said. “Now I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’m not as fit as I was before the accident.”

Grotts doesn’t feel overwhelmed or disappointed, even though he knows he has a ways to go before he fully recovers.

“As long as I have enough energy, my mind is in pretty good shape,” Grotts said. “Of course I have a long way to go, but it’s not too challenging. When I’m really tired, mental space goes downhill a bit. It’s been good for me to distract myself with books I want to read and go out for short, really enjoyable activities.”

More than two months after the accident occurred, Grotts allowed himself to return to his bike for easy cycling. Although this trip wasn’t recommended by Grotts’ doctors, the short rides provide the lifelong cyclist with a moment of happiness.

“I’ve been cycling for like 25 years, so I feel like the risk of falling is less than most of the population,” Grotts said. “I will go to and from (physical therapy) by bike. About three months is when I can actually move on to more serious training, but that will still seem very low key.

Grotts, who is making steady progress in his physical therapy sessions, plans to return to racing temporarily, but is worried about crashing again. With his long-term health in mind, Grotts also considered stepping away from mountain bike racing to focus on other cycling-focused projects.

“The head injury can get much worse and needs a solid year for the bones to fully heal,” Grotts said. “I was thinking about other projects I could do outside of racing, like fastest known times or the King of the Mountain’s efforts to keep me sane and make me feel involved. Help the team and become a professional athlete in some other way.

After weeks of recovery, Grotts is still overwhelmed by the strength of the mountain bike community and the response to his accident at the Breck Epic.

“This is extremely special,” Grotts said. “This is the world I’ve been in for years, so you don’t take it for granted, but you don’t realize how close-knit the community is and how many people you can impact as a professional athlete until you really need to. this help. I was blown away and extremely grateful to everyone who came in one way or another. … This gives me a whole new appreciation for the cycling community.”

Breck Epic founder Mike McCormack even organized it a relief fund for the Grotts after the horrific accident. Over the past few months, the cycling community has contributed over $105,000 to help Grotts cover recovery costs.

“Mike McCormack and the entire Breck Epic team were absolutely admirable when things went bad,” Grotts said. “It’s a really great race and they show up when it’s necessary. There’s probably no good race to crash in, but I’m glad it happened that way because the whole Breckenridge community did what needed to be done. I’m really grateful to Breckenridge.”