NOT AGAIN! Big crash

I have been mountain biking since 1996, and in those 23 years, have certainly had my fair share of big crashes. Somehow I have never been knocked out, nor even suffered a severe concussion. The other day we were shooting with Brandon to learn about his magazine (https://freehubmag.com/) and I seriously misjudged a small roller.

Eyeing up the small jump, which we are standing just past. We are looking at the sniper landing for the proposed mega jump which neither of us wanted to (or tried to!) attempt.

I was attempting to duplicate what Brandon did, a nice little jump to the side of the trail. Unfortunately, I gave it a little too much pepper and went about two bike lengths past the landing, washing my front end out, and smashing my face and shoulder into tree roots.

Airborne. Notice I’m not in my usual tuck for “mega distance” or my squash for “mega boost”. I’m not trying to hit that far out landing, but sure enough, went just a little too big.

I should be landing right around here. Step downs are my least favorite jumps, as they are the easiest to mis-judge and overclear.

Miliseconds after touchdown- you can see the roosting dirt from my front tire as it washes out, and throwing me into the roots. SO LUCKY I missed that tree! YIKES!

Way too close for comfort to that big tree. I thank my lucky stars every day that I didn’t hit that thing. I was trying to be a couple feet more to my right, so where I landed already meant I was off balance.

Tangled in my bike, unable to speak or breathe. This must have been terrifying for Logan and Brandon.

Bloody jeff — The aftermath, bruised and bloody, but still conscious and breathing.

Big thanks to Adam at https://www.apexchirobellingham.com/ for his help in making a great recovery!

Yes, I know concussions can need up to 8 weeks to allow the brain to fully heal again. While I did not get amnesia, nor was I knocked out for a sizeable amount, I still believe this was indeed a concussion. I’m going to take between 4 and 8 weeks off the bike, assessing myself every day, to determine when I can safely get back to some mellow riding. I WILL NOT be riding anything high performance until I’m 100%.

You can see the pile of roots between the trail and the cedar tree there. That’s what I landed in, head first.

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