[cableguy]

from Decline:

This past weekend at the U.S. National Championships in Sol Vista, CO ODI X-Fusion team rider Sean “Griz” McClendon had a huge crash in his DH race run. Griz was Life Flighted to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Denver where we would find out he had broken his left Collarbone, Shattered both sides of his pelvis, and dislocated his right hip.

He’ll go under the knife a total of four times to have his pelvic bones pinned back together. Everybody send good healing vibes and wish Griz the best through this rough time in his life. GET WELL SOON, WE LOVE YOU!!! - J.D. Swanguen

http://www.declinemagazine.com/content.php?itemid=5166

 

[cableguy]

Get well Griz!

 

[bizutch]

Don't know if being onthe team qualified him for health insurance, but I sure hope he has some. If not, he's looking at 70/30 coverage through his USAC license after a $5k deductible. That is going to be some very hefty costs to deal with after he gets his body and his mind healthy.

God bless you brother!

 

[kickstand]

holy smokes batman....get well soon and have a speedy recovery

 

[Kanye West]

Don't know if being onthe team qualified him for health insurance, but I sure hope he has some. If not, he's looking at 70/30 coverage through his USAC license after a $5k deductible. That is going to be some very hefty costs to deal with after he gets his body and his mind healthy.

God bless you brother!

I won't even get on the bike if I don't have full coverage health insurance on that day. Not worth it.

That was straight fvcking brutal.

 

[5150dhbiker]

It was a brutal crash. Every time I hit that last jump on the course I thought "man it would really suck to go down here." You have SOOOOOO much speed going into it (around 35-37mph).

Get better Griz!!!

 

[Inclag]

Damn, get well dude.

Makes me feel lucky for only breaking my humerus at the US Open finish line jump with a similar crash.

 

[profro]

It begs the question, was he on a Revolt nor did he have a Dorado?










jk, Get well. It does look brutal.

 

[rockofullr]

Shattered pelvis! Not cool.

Stupid dangerous sports.

 

[Ithnu]

I've seen a lot of people hit that jump and unfortunately several get hurt. I think that may be the worst crash on that jump I've seen.

 

[snowskilz]

I was 10 feet above the face of the jump and he hit it pinned. The crash was brutal he was super nose down when he landed and got tossed. He was def unconscious (sp?) when he hit the ground and when he woke up all he was saying his that his hips hurt.

Heal up soon Griz!

 

[S.K.C.]

Jesus...



I met Griz at the Open back in 08' I think - REALLY nice guy and super funny. The first time I saw the above footage it almost looked like he landed on his head - which would/could have been fatal at that speed and height. Reminded me a bit of Matti's crash a few years back when he was on the Honda in the off-season before joining MS-Intense. I guess what I'm saying is that to look on the bright side - at least it's not an injury that has damaged his spinal chord. Holy GOD that looked scary as hell...

Sending healing vibes out to Griz - Rest easy and get well soon!

 

[time-bomb]

Jesus...



I met Griz at the Open back in 08' I think - REALLY nice guy and super funny. The first time I saw the above footage it almost looked like he landed on his head - which would/could have been fatal at that speed and height. Reminded me a bit of Matti's crash a few years back when he was on the Honda in the off-season before joining MS-Intense. I guess what I'm saying is that to look on the bright side - at least it's not an injury that has damaged his spinal chord. Holy GOD that looked scary as hell...

Sending healing vibes out to Griz - Rest easy and get well soon!

Slightly reminiscent of Johnny Waddel's crash too. Best wishes to Griz, get well!

 

[dw]

Oh man, get well soon Griz! Healing vibes from the East Coast

 

[SCARY]

This begs the question for the thousandth time -Are these types of obstacles,this big,really neccesary? I got pretty jacked on the finish line jump there last year--small jump,my fault,tired,shoulda pushed my shock,first.
-i ve been in this sport off and on since '98 ,so I've seen the talent level explode and the tracks (some)trying to be supercross tracks.Im all for jumps,but when is enough enough?
--The stupid sport is dangerous already.I race moto too and their is always a constant debate on local tracks as to what is safe,too much,too little etc.Frankly,in moto I prefer the sx,jump filled type track.BUT, you can recover from that type of nose dive situation on a motocross bike.
--Once your pitched like that on a bicycle,yer done.
--I know the big balls crew will chime in "well,if yer pro ,you should be able to blah blah blah".I dont want to debate that.I hate seeing this happen to extremely talented riders on these gigantic jumps.There is just no recovery from that type of incident.
-I dunno,i know im old,Its fun to watch,but it how many times does it have to happen to be paralyzed,or dead before its not so fun to watch anymore?
-Its national champs ,I know.But still.

 

[thom9719]

This begs the question for the thousandth time -Are these types of obstacles,this big,really neccesary? I got pretty jacked on the finish line jump there last year--small jump,my fault,tired,shoulda pushed my shock,first.
-i ve been in this sport off and on since '98 ,so I've seen the talent level explode and the tracks (some)trying to be supercross tracks.Im all for jumps,but when is enough enough?
--The stupid sport is dangerous already.I race moto too and their is always a constant debate on local tracks as to what is safe,too much,too little etc.Frankly,in moto I prefer the sx,jump filled type track.BUT, you can recover from that type of nose dive situation on a motocross bike.
--Once your pitched like that on a bicycle,yer done.
--I know the big balls crew will chime in "well,if yer pro ,you should be able to blah blah blah".I dont want to debate that.I hate seeing this happen to extremely talented riders on these gigantic jumps.There is just no recovery from that type of incident.
-I dunno,i know im old,Its fun to watch,but it how many times does it have to happen to be paralyzed,or dead before its not so fun to watch anymore?
-Its national champs ,I know.But still.

It's still the riders choice to hit the jump. I know Griz is the last person that will blame the jump and was one of the most excited to ride a track with big jumps. He has major skills when it comes to being in the air. A freak thing can happen at any point in any track. The big jumps ARE fun. My biggest skill weakness is jumping, but I was loving those jumps. they were so much fun and the feeling of flying like that is amazing. Those jumps are well within the limits of Pro/Jr X riders and should be involved on more courses. Hitting jumps is a part of our sport. The riders want to do it and the tracks are great for spectators when bikes are flying over 40 foot gaps.

Griz caught some wind, and messed up the jump. Not his fault, or the jumps. he'll be back ripping that stuff up in no time and knowing him, he'll want to come race that track again and send it.

-KT

 

[5150dhbiker]

This begs the question for the thousandth time -Are these types of obstacles,this big,really neccesary? I got pretty jacked on the finish line jump there last year--small jump,my fault,tired,shoulda pushed my shock,first.
-i ve been in this sport off and on since '98 ,so I've seen the talent level explode and the tracks (some)trying to be supercross tracks.Im all for jumps,but when is enough enough?
--The stupid sport is dangerous already.I race moto too and their is always a constant debate on local tracks as to what is safe,too much,too little etc.Frankly,in moto I prefer the sx,jump filled type track.BUT, you can recover from that type of nose dive situation on a motocross bike.
--Once your pitched like that on a bicycle,yer done.
--I know the big balls crew will chime in "well,if yer pro ,you should be able to blah blah blah".I dont want to debate that.I hate seeing this happen to extremely talented riders on these gigantic jumps.There is just no recovery from that type of incident.
-I dunno,i know im old,Its fun to watch,but it how many times does it have to happen to be paralyzed,or dead before its not so fun to watch anymore?
-Its national champs ,I know.But still.

No they're not necessary but then again neither are rocks, roots or ruts. It's a personal decision if you want to hit those jumps. Me personally, I didn't mind hitting them...in fact enjoyed them. I even had a pretty bad crash on the second jump on the course (the hip jump) where I went OTB and came to an instant stop with my chest into a tree. Something like that was all my fault.
I LOVE what the Sol Vista guys are doing with the pro courses, they are giving us more challenging things but what I REALLY love is they incorporate every type of riding. This course had high speed, rocks, jumps, berms, loose corners, dusty/sandy corners...everything. But like I said, it's all personal preference for the jumps. If you're not comfortable with jumps that big, do the go around or don't race. Griz is no amateur jumper/builder so I know he won't blame the jumps in any way.

 

[S.K.C.]

... not again... didn't RM have this discussion last year?

I'm not trying to make light of the subject, but the truth is - pro courses are challenging, even for pros. At that level of riding, between the speed, rough terrain, and jumps - something will go wrong at some point. Not to mention how hard racers are pushing it in their race runs. If you take risks and hang it out, that's just how it is.

As far as questionable track features go - it comes down to the general concensus of the riders on that track on that particular day. If a jump or section feels ridiculous, then riders will say something to the management/Trail Crew to get it changed.

All in all I think Chase said it best after his spine injury at Quashqai a few years back (to paraphrase): "...you want the riding and the riders to be the ones who push the boundaries of course design - NOT the other way around..."

 

[SCARY]

That's a good quote from Chase.I'm not denying jumps are fun and fun to watch.But,at a point, why don't you do slope style ?To me anyway ,my favorite courses were snowshoe in the rain/mud and Schweitzer Idaho.I loved that place.Please tell me those courses aren't man enough for 95% of racers .
I don't know, every place I've raced with man made jumps,there were always major hospital visits.I mean I liked it then back in expert class cuz it was then only thing I gained time on.I guess Im saying the HUGE consequences of messing up one of these things in a race setting is the part I'm questioning.It puts too much of a "do or die" on people that are on the edge anyway.Farting around ,hitting the same jumps for fun is different in my eyes.
Of course somebody has to throw up a "what about rocks and roots...???"comment.Don't gimme that crap.Plus, how many(most ) courses will tag those things orange if they're too dangerous without it?
Again it's more about the size and how they throw you kinda thing.I mean ,Id lose sleep if I made obstacles that unnecessarily and frequently got people seriously hurt.No?
There has to be a point where it's too much.How do we judge that though?2 deaths?5 broken necks?Or will lawsuits do it for it?Ever been to Big Bear?No,not in a while,huh?Is 60 ft out ,25ft up too much?80ft out ,30 up?

 

[stiksandstones]

No they're not necessary but then again neither are rocks, roots or ruts.

Last I checked, rocks, roots and ruts were put in there by mother nature, not a john deere.

 

[5150dhbiker]

Last I checked, rocks, roots and ruts were put in there by mother nature, not a john deere.

NO...John Deere designs EVERY course

You get what I mean though...I've raced plenty of DH courses that are "challenging" to a point without those *cough* FONTANA *cough*

Like I said, something like Sol Vista was challenging and yes...I got injured there during my race run but I would not trade it for anything. Courses like that push me to my limits and thats what I enjoy. No, it's not necessary but when you consider that this IS the National Champs...it SHOULD be challenging.

All the people complaining saying "people are getting hurt, etc." need to realize that first of all, they're not the ones racing and second of all, those of us there had a choice to race it or not.

 

[bdamschen]

Jumps are part of our sport. Sure, they can be dangerous, but so can gnarly rock gardens, or loose high speed sections, or steep sections with trees. Here's my rule of thumb: any of those obstacles (jumps, rocks, high speed, trees, etc.) should be fun if you're just out riding down the course. When those obstacles start becoming a serious matter of what can almost feel like life or death on a casual ride (not at race speed), then they're over the top.

Obviously my definition of what is fun on a causal ride differs from a world cup pro's definition on some occasions.

 

[SCARY]

Yeah,I knew you guys would keep arguing the "it's fun,I can jump them,I like big jumps"line.It's not the issue.SOME of these jumps have such a high"risk to life altering paralysis"ratio at one single point on a race ,multiple times that it no longer is totally reliant on your skill to clear them cleanly.
I don't want to beat a dead horse,and I appreciate it not turning ugly.But I forgot the name of the Aussie guy who got messed up years ago and got Back racing?Over that huge jump at a WC race?The videos showed multiple WC guys nose diving over this jump.They never took it out ,or flattened the trajectory,and this guy gets serious brain damage
Alright I'm done.I don't think what Griz may or may not do when he gets better sometime in the next calendar year should dictate course design.
I didn't go to this race cuz of money and all that crap,but I gotta admit (choking on my own ego)that I was probably better off not going.Jumps are fun,racing a real dh course is more fun IMHO.

 

[Pslide]

SCARY is making a lot of good points in my opinion.

And for those who say the racer is making a choice to hit the large jumps - yes and no. There is no way you can be competitive and go around those jumps. So the course designers are really forcing your hand. The pressure to hit those jumps is going to force 95% of riders to take the risk.

 

[rockofullr]

Taking jumps out of a race won't stop people from going to the hospital.

Unfortunately this sport is dangerous and I don't think the Sol Vista jumps are really that much more dangerous than features in other races.

 

[bizutch]

SCARY....the 40 foot huck at Snowshoe they put in all their races is a whole other topic of discussion. Only jump I've ever hit and had to look under my bars to see the lander. You just go straight out, lose momentum...and then drop like a stone.

I'm in the middle. I like certain big jumps. I like watching pros hit a few things bigger than what I'd hit. I DON'T like seeing Evil Kneivel non-rollable jumps on a race course because too many things mechanical (from a pedal clipping the ground to a derailleur sucking into a wheel) can go wrong over gaps.

GAP jumps have no place in DH. They aren't in pro motocross because what would happen if you snap a chain or blow an engine? Shattered bones or broken limbs. If you want to make jumps in DH, make them CASEABLE!

In moto, you can case a MASSIVE lander. Sure, on a DH bike you can clear that same lander at speed....but you can't CASE IT! Make DH landers match the max limits of the bikes. If you can case a 40 foot double with 8-10 inches of travel and ride it out, it's acceptable.

 

[bizutch]

Taking jumps out of a race won't stop people from going to the hospital.

Unfortunately this sport is dangerous and I don't think the Sol Vista jumps are really that much more dangerous than features in other races.

Maybe a more scientific approach is needed and USAC needs to take a look at reported injury totals from courses with and without jump features. It'd be an interesting stat to see how many and at what extent people get injured on jumps versus other terrain obstacles.

Yard Sale was one of the most dangerous obstacles I've ever ridden other than a jump, but it would be much harder to get heli-vaced out from a wreck in Yard Sale than from a wipeout over a big dub.

 

[Pslide]

I think the solution to high risk obstacles is simple: the racers just need to speak up at the riders meeting and make some suggestions to either modify or remove dangerous features. Of course, this will mean putting their pride behind them, which is the not so simple part.

 

[WillCollins]

I think the biggest thing USAC could have done for safety at this event was schedule Jr X and Pro's to race and practice at earlier times of the day. Every afternoon like clockwork the winds picked up and added a whole new variable to the already challenging jumps. Instead of coasting or potentially braking like a normal run without wind, I found myself sprinting in the final to try and match my usual speed. Had they held seeding at 11 or 12 Saturday and done the same for the race Sunday instead of allowing events like short track to dominate the schedule (an event that wind has no effect on) maybe Griz would have made it down safe.
That being said, the Sol Vista crew did a great job with the terrain they had to work with. As professional mountain bikers we are expected to be qualified to race whatever is thrown at us (within reason.) The jumps this year were very well thought out and did not present any unnecessary risks, especially since go around were readily available.

Heal up Griz.

 

[stiksandstones]

GAP jumps have no place in DH. They aren't in pro motocross

Nope…never seen a gap jump at a MX national, or SX….nope, never.

wow




And back on topic, Griz did not crash because he came up short on a 'gap', he over shot the jump by about 15'.

 

[thom9719]

I feel like a bunch of the people complaining here are not the ones riding the course.

Pro's can ride big jumps and choose to do so. Have you guys seen the trails that Griz builds? All of his stuff is littered with big jumps. This is what he likes to ride and we want it in the courses. Sol Vista doesn't have a lot of elevation or steeps to work with, so they build man made features to make the course challenging. We need a challenge, nothing is worse than being bored by a lame course.

look at Champery. Long, Crazy Steep, Roots, Wet and covered in HUGE jumps. The only thing it's missing is some big rock gardens (there might be some, but i haven't seen any in the photos).

-KT

 

[TrailzHozer]

And back on topic, Griz did not crash because he came up short on a 'gap', he over shot the jump by about 15'.

We all know it was because of the bike. The front wheel wanted to go right while the rear wheel wanted to go left.

 

[spornographer]

ugh, not again. it's always someone else's fault isn't it? take personal responsibility for YOUR actions! YOU make the choice to ride a jump or NOT.


ALL gap jumps on that track, including the one griz crashed on, had rollable go-arounds. the go-around on the jump griz crashed on was argued as just as fast as the jump itself, so there was little to no penalty for not hitting it.

people get carted off on 6 foot table tops and flat corners all the time, maybe those should be taken out too?

 

[yuroshek]

any word on griz? hows he doing? i just missed him on FB.

 

[dh_newbie]

Griz, Get well soon!

 

[yuroshek]

well i gave him a call, i wasnt sure if he would answer or not. Griz is doing "OK" poor guy is gonna be in the hospital for another week or two. He will go in for another surgery on his left pelvis on monday and then maybe another surgery after that, they are still not sure. He said he has been busy responding back to FB massages and emails all day! keep the love flowin! it helps keep his mind off the pain a bit and keeps his head up!

 

[SCARY]

I feel like a bunch of the people complaining here are not the ones riding the course.

Pro's can ride big jumps and choose to do so. Have you guys seen the trails that Griz builds? All of his stuff is littered with big jumps. This is what he likes to ride and we want it in the courses. Sol Vista doesn't have a lot of elevation or steeps to work with, so they build man made features to make the course challenging. We need a challenge, nothing is worse than being bored by a lame


-KT

I would argue that post #36 is worse than a lame ass course.

And Stik,Im pretty sure he was making the point that WE aren't pro motocrossers.

 

[SCARY]

The last time I raced there was when I beat you by 2 seconds.(eehem)and never rode in the mud before,..just sayin.It was a while ago.bizutch

 

[SCARY]

It'll never happen.Are you kidding?We can't even convince these guys that there is ANY issue, even over the Internet.Who ever says anything is the sissy bitch for the rest of there race career.
-Im not saying to anybody that jumps don't belong in our sport.But where is the line,somebody give me a number.40 out ,40 up 2.5 seconds of airtime?How about 300 feet out,2 feet up and a falling gradient that scientifically is proven to be doable ?And if one of you says" Well if it's doable, and your only 2 feet off the ground...)I will punch your sister in the neck.

 

[thom9719]

It'll never happen.Are you kidding?We can't even convince these guys that there is ANY issue, even over the Internet.Who ever says anything is the sissy bitch for the rest of there race career.
-Im not saying to anybody that jumps don't belong in our sport.But where is the line,somebody give me a number.40 out ,40 up 2.5 seconds of airtime?How about 300 feet out,2 feet up and a falling gradient that scientifically is proven to be doable ?And if one of you says" Well if it's doable, and your only 2 feet off the ground...)I will punch your sister in the neck.

The number is simple, it's the rider majority. If the jumps are deemed safe by the majority of the riders, then they are good to go.

Ex: while not being a DH race, the principle is the same. A number of years ago now at the Wham Bam Thank You Jam in Portland, one of the lips was too short. It was collectivly decided by the riders that it was dangerous, so they stopped practice and fixed the jump.

DH is the same. Almost every rider on the course was hitting the jumps and we all felt they were fine. Those jumps were built well and no one was having issues with them. They were built by good pro riders and tested by pro riders. If the jumps were really wonky, people would have stepped up and said something needed to change.

-KT