A couple of weeks ago in the Surrey Hills I came off late in the afternoon, pushing fast into a familiar section and trying to clear two drops in one go. I broke my radius and now have a titanium plate with screws holding it together.
Like this?
It’s not my first injury over the years — but this time it got me thinking less about the accident itself, and more about the causes. Are there patterns in when and how injuries happen? Do they come more often late in the season, or later in the day? Do we push harder with friends, or make different decisions when riding solo? How much of a factor is peer pressure, riding beyond our limits, ignoring that little voice, or just bad luck. It also made me think about how it changes our ride afterwards when we get back.
Rather than just share my story, I’d like to open this up as a crowdsourced guide, built from all our experiences.
💬 Here are the questions:
1. Your injury — What happened? Where and what type of ride (DH / Enduro / XC / race / casual)? When (month + time of day)? Solo or with friends (and did that change how you rode)? How did you get home?
2. What changed afterward — Did you buy or upgrade protection/kit? Did you change how you ride — confidence, line choices, speed, features? Did you get any coaching or skill training, or are you self-taught (YouTube, mates, inner voice saying “go on”)? How did recovery shape your riding now?
👇 Scroll down and add your answers in the comments. Over the next few weeks I’ll gather replies and write up the themes and learnings in a follow-up article for everyone. I've posted my own answers as the first comment below to kick things off. Share as little or as much as you want. Thanks for taking part — and ride safe and if currently injured like me, I hope you heal quick.
Read: 169 times Published: 31/08/2025🥇 Trail of the Year – Winner Announced!
