Big contrast with Tahnee Seagrave’s experience.
Worth reading her full post.
It’s MTBing, it’s dangerous…
It doesn’t have to be.
Is there a safe way to send a 20 metre drop? LOL.
Is there a safe way to send a 20 metre drop? LOL.
Is there a safer way than riding it when everyone else thinks the wind isn't suitable?
You can't make it safe, you can make it less dangerous.
No way would I do anything the Rampage folk do, but I use to motorcycle commute the best part of 100 miles per day from the home counties into Central London & around the M25/M3/M4 - did it for nearly 2 decades. Big bikes (900/1000/1050), all weathers and yes, often far in excess of the speed limit (60's & 70's).
I stopped not long before we moved up to Scotland and I've not ridden a motorcycle since, even though we've stunning empty roads - I just feel that I 'survived' and used all my lives up.
I'd suggest this was at least as risky as what the guys are doing, and the penalty of failure is as high, if not higher but it's up to Gee (and the others) to make the same 'call'.
Sometimes though they need a bit of 'help' - as Barry Sheene quipped after Mick Doohan said he wasn't retiring from the back of an ambulance (after a very nasty crash & severe injuries), "better an ambulance than a hearse"...
This is normal. Entirely healthy behaviour.
For Gee, being amongst a group people of whom he both respects their opinion, and knows that they understand and support him, it may very well be.
It’s MTBing, it’s dangerous…
Nope. It's a spectrum, some aspects of it carry more risk than others.
Don't apply your own risk aversion to others and then draw judgements from it. If it's not for you, cool.
Short interview with Gee where he explains why he does this, starting at 9:00 - https://www.pinkbike.com/news/behind-the-scenes-last-practice-sessions-at-red-bull-rampage-2023.html
Him being out says to me that we still don't take head injury seriously enough in this sport. If he's had a skull fracture, he shouldn't be out, he should be resting.
I presume he has passed concussion testing. If you bang your head hard enough to brake your skull inside the best helmet your sponsor makes you must have given your brain a bit of a wobble.
Again, it's down to the severity of the injuries, he's looking like he's in protective braces to protect against further damage rather than damage already sustained, so more likely microfractures rather than actual breaks.
It does seem a bit daft for him to be there at this time though, as the journey to the site doesn't look pleasant and all he'll do is aggravate the injured area, no qualms about him doing what he loves, but i doubt he's following medical advice going on an off-road dune buggy style ride and being in a secluded area.
For Gee, being amongst a group people of whom he both respects their opinion, and knows that they understand and support him, it may very well be.
Yeah, Groupthink never leads to bad outcomes does it?
They seem like level headed people 😉
