Risk and reward; without one the other will not produce the same level of joy and satisfaction.
Words and photos by Scott Connor Risk and reward; without one the other will not produce the same level of joy and satisfaction. It’s part and parcel of BMX, and the risk is that of pain, getting hurt and sometimes being seriously injured.
It’s the moment we all hope to avoid. You can take an abundance of bails, spills and crashes, but there’s a point where the odds will turn against you and it’s in that moment that you might just happen to land badly and it all goes wrong.
So, it’s been a minute since you took a nasty crash while filming for our video. Tell us a little about what happened?
“We had set out across London to hit The Spot. We’d never been before, so it was a great session and everyone was killing it. We had just filmed a nice line and I felt like trying for another clip. I did a table over the hip that lead into the box at a bit of a weird angle. I wanted to 180 the box nice and high and as soon as I took off it didn’t feel right. I ditched my bike and the instant my right leg touched the landing of the box it folded under me. I heard two snaps and as I rolled over I could see my leg was totally fucked up. The tibia and fibula had both snapped!”
Fast planting whilst two security guards are shouting at us, camera left.
What was the word from the surgeon, how long until you can get back on a bike again?
“The surgery went really well. I had a tibial nail operation, that’s where a titanium rod is inserted into the tibia bone and screws are used to hold it all in place. The surgeon has given me six months before I can ride again. Right now, that really seems like ages away.”
How are you coping with being laid up at home? Talking from my own experiences, the physical pain pales in comparison to the psychological aspects of getting injured. Going from riding every day to barely leaving the sofa is a horrible transition. What are your plans for recovery?
“Well, being at home so much can make you stir crazy… I still read BMX mags and watch all the videos, haha, it reminds me of how much fun I have on my bike and that keeps me motivated. My leg rehab has being going super good, I’m now lifting weights with my leg and smashing the wobble board to get my balance good again. If everything keeps going well, hopefully I’ll look to start pedalling again around end of February! Can’t wait to get my leg over a bike and get back rolling with the homies.”
Once you’ve healed up, do you think you’d like to push harder at riding, maybe get more coverage? Or will you be content to take it easy for a while?
“Once I’m 100% healthy, I’ll be keen to push myself more than ever. I’m a guy of few tricks, I like to keep things fairly simple, just try to flow with style and speed. Hopefully I can get involved with some cool projects for 2016. So if anyone wants to hit me with a cool idea, I’m all ears.”
Finally, is there anyone you’d like to shout-out, give thanks or even take the piss out of a little?
“Firstly and most importantly, I’d like to say thank you to Robbie Morales and Mad Jon for all the help and keeping my bike feeling dialled. Thanks to CULT and seventies for keeping it real, Stu Dawkins and all the homies over at Seventies Distro. All the Brighton crew, I can’t name them one by one because I will forget someone and they’ll never let it go, haha. Dad and my step mum, my girlfriend Hannah she’s a babe, Scott and all the rest of the dudes at Ride UK, Jake Fielding and the Worthing crew. All the people who are kind enough to let me ride their trails, mainly the Vauxhall dudes and the Shotgun trail guys. And a big THANK YOU to everyone for the support when I needed it most. Cheers!”
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