Rider Injuries – Leogang World Cup 2021

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Rider injuries. As expected we’ve had a few (and definitely a few odd ones) at Leogang World Cup. It’s part of the sport, though it’s never easy to see. We wish all the injured riders a speedy recovery!

Leogang World Cup

Florent Payet

Florent definitely has one of the wilder injuries we’ve heard of. We hope all goes well with recovery.

Hey everyone, just a quick update on what happened to me today.

Everything was coming together nicely, I was really happy with the track and was enjoying riding the steep mud sections. Then the drama came.

I went out of the track on a fast section about 30 seconds into the track. I was trying to find some more speed somewhere else than in the wood and simply rode into a pole. I’ve probably done this a thousand times in the last 16 years that I have been racing World Cups. Normally I just bounce off and keep going.

This time it was a bit different. The pole came back and whipped straight between my legs. It hit me with an unbelievable amount of pain. I still managed to ride my bike quite well down to the bottom of the track, but when I got to the pit the pain got really bad.

We had a check down my trousers and there was lots of blood and some spare parts were hanging out that should have been tucked away safely. I needed to get to a hospital urgently.

The doctors performed emergency surgery to save them and get them back in place and to save the chance to have children. The surgery was a success and the boys are back where they should be.:)

I will need to wait and see what this experience has actually done to me emotionally as I was very close to losing them… This is the first time I have needed surgery without actually crashing on my bike and it has been a scary experience. I will keep the updates coming regarding my situation over the next few days, and let everyone know about my recovery when I have more information.

Florent Payet
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Melanie Chappaz

Due for surgery on Monday, Melanie had a crash during practice and went down pretty hard.

Here we are again. Had a really bad crash on the head this morning during practice. I still had my plate on my collarbone from my injury from 9 months ago and this one made the crash worse by breaking my collarbone again but next to the plate this time. I couldn’t see from the left eye for a while too…everything is ok now and the surgery is on Monday! I can’t tell you how disappointed and down I am right now. I was feeling so good on the bike and in my head and everything was reunited to have a good weekend. A big thanks to @thebrigadeteam and @fabienbarel for their help and I definitely need to think what to do properly in the future to make the work pay off.

Melanie Chappaz

Brendan Fairclough

Not strictly an injury from riding or even in Leogang. It’s a slightly odd one, Brendan got a splinter in his hand a few weeks ago. He tried to remove it before practice and ended up getting an infection. After a visit to hospital he was given antibiotics and painkillers. He is still riding, albeit in quite a bit of pain.

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Not too good about writing about myself, but not so bad at writing about other things. There was a time that I hated bikes, but then they became my life. Wouldn't be the person I am if I hadn't been on this journey. Here's to bikes, drinking tea and everything that comes with life on two wheels. I'm Lauren, I like bikes and writing about them. Always trying my best and up for adventures.

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