Mountain Biking and Head Injuries - The Inside Line Podcast 11

Jeff Brines, Matt Thompson and Craig Glaspell discuss the importance of dealing with head injuries after a mountain bike crash.

sspomer
7/14/2021 7:09am
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Welcome mountain bikers, I'm honored to be joined by three fantastic guests on this episode of The Inside Line. We will discuss mountain biking and head injuries. None of us are scientific or medical experts on the subject, but during the last World Cup DH race webcast from Les Gets, Jeff Brines and I were texting and discussing Thibaut Daprela’s incredible race-winning run with the sidebar of his recent knockout crash at French National Champs a week prior. I said let’s do an Inside Line about the subject and here we are. - Cover photo by @maddogboris

 

Discuss your experiences and information about head injuries in our forum here

Jeff, has been a Vital MTB bike and product tester, he's long-time DH and enduro racer, he’s one of the few people to have owned a handmade carbon BCD bike from Alex Morgan, and, he may be one of Vital’s most prolific site commenters based on number of characters typed over the last decade. I’d have to imagine it’s a close call between him and Primoz.

Matt is co-owner of Momentum Trail Concepts, long-time friend and bike racer, he has the rainbow stripes of a Masters World Champion, and he’s legitimately the reason Vital MTB exists (listen to his Inside Line from a few years ago to find out why).

Craig "Stikman" Glaspell is the main MTB marketing man over at Troy Lee Designs, known for their D-series helmets and riding gear. He has years of experience as a World Cup DH mechanic and industry vet and was an influential mountain bike website entrepreneur in the very early 2000s.

Jeff and Matt are both on the show because they have plenty of experience racing and dealing with bike-related head injuries. They’ll tell their stories. Stik comes at us with industry experience in the helmet and protection category, as well as being in the position of a person who pays his sponsored athletes to ride their bikes and risk injury as a result.

We’re not trying to single out Thibaut as an example. His performance is what got us talking. Andrew Neethling and Ed Masters discussed Thibaut's crash a bit on Moving the Needle last week, which was awesome, and it seems, at least from our perspective, that there’s a growing concern for safety among our community.

Thank You Supporters of The Inside Line

Vital MTB’s The Inside Line podcast is brought to you by Jenson USA. If you need a mountain bike helmet or protective gear, jensonusa.com has you covered. Use coupon code insideline at checkout and receive 10% off qualifying items, too!

Slide your summer around with Maxxis tires and think about throwing on a Minion SS out back on your trail bike with a Minion DHR II up front. You’ll be rolling fast and surfin’ those corners, hootin’ and hollering along the way. Hit up maxxis.com for all your mountain bike tire needs or to find a local dealer

Thank you to Santa Cruz Bicycles for their support of the show. They offer free, lifetime bearing replacement on all of their bikes, and they’re giving away $1,000,000 over three years to trail building projects and initiatives through their Paydirt fund. There's nothing better than more trails!



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11 comments

View replies to: Mountain Biking and Head Injuries - The Inside Line Podcast

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2minus1
3 years ago
I just want to comment on the comparisons to moto concussion protocols in both this podcast and in Needles' podcast. The sentiment was that professional moto has a superior approach merely because they have some sort of protocol in place, and there may be some truth to that, but the enforcement of that protocol is poor at best.

Case in point: Jett Lawrence's crash in the opening heat at Indy 2 this year- he absolutely drilled his head in the ground, visor came off, and the chin of his helmet visibly rotates past his shoulder in the process of the crash (you can watch it on YouTube). Needless to say he did not finish the heat, but one hour later he is lining up for the LCQ. All of a sudden this top 5 premier athlete is missing lines, rhythms, and can barely stay within the top 10 of an LCQ. He was clearly concussed, but no one stopped him from racing!

Now Cameron McAdoo's story has a much better ending, but if I remember correctly, the decision not to race was made by his team, not AMA or Feld Motorsports. These organizations, including UCI, don't really seem to care about the health of their athletes - especially if there's a story like Thibaut Daprela's comeback at Les Gets developing.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that even with concussion safety protocols in place, we also need to push for an unwavering enforcement of said protocol. Maybe there could be some sort of third party organization that doesn't have a stake in the game to make the final call whether a rider is cleared to race or not? I don't know the answer, but I think I made my point...
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jeff.brines
3 years ago
Great point. Moto concussion protocol seems more a facade than actually protecting riders. A WADA of head injury protocol makes a lot of sense.
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Zero Cool
3 years ago
Maybe something like the RFU (rugby) rules. Preseason Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) testing to record the player’s baseline scores, then the first signs of a head injury, heavy hit, etc the player is off the pitch, assessed using the same tool and if there’s any doubt then theyre out of the game and off for more assessments (including mandatory rest even if that means they miss the next game or longer). Head injuries properly mess you up (and even kill you), often even if you’re feeling ‘fine’ afterwards.
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klerric
3 years ago
I listened to Katy Winton on a podcast and she described her concussion and she said the most important part id how you manage it. She talked about diet etc. You can definitely read too much into it and i've felt worse because of it. The Scottish Guidance on Concussion is a good source and provides a graded chart for getting back to your sport: https://sportscotland.org.uk/clubs/scottish-sports-concussion-guidance/

I have never been so frustrated with my concussion it really had an impact on my mental health. I could not see a way out. The light headed feeling just would not go away. I started to walk longer and not dwell on how i was feeling. I them started to bring more exercise in. I was unsure if it was coming form my neck, ears or head..it is such a hard call. It seems most people have a totally different outlook after the experience. I certainly have. The other really good info that Katy talked about was a chap in IG. His short video's are great check him out its @concussion_doc.

This was areally good podcast...I'd really like to engage more...
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sspomer
3 years ago
thanks for the comments everyone. i'm so thankful for jeff's, matt's and stik's input and candor on this subject!
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t00b
3 years ago
Wow this was hard to listen to and really important. Thanks for opening up about this stuff. Made me rethink some of the knocks I've taken.
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mericanradness
3 years ago
I’ve got to admit, head injuries have shaken me. It’s forced me to look at the sport through a different lens, I ate slept and breathed riding my bike for years until a string of concussions forced me to re evaluate. I still love the sport but find myself unable to throw a leg over the saddle without pushing it at least a little. It’s sad to admit but it forced me onto the sidelines. I ride a handful of times a year now but have never been able to mentally get over it. I love you mountain biking but I’m afraid now, we’re just friends.
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BetterRide.net
3 years ago
Wow, I didn't know about Matt and Jeff's concussion history.

I've had a very similar concussion background but I'm even older than Matt at 55. Matt might remember that iat Mt Snow in 1999 every pro qualified for the finals because I knocked myself out in for 5 minutes in qualifying.

My first concussion was when I went over a berm in a bmx race at 14 (I was a pro-tec skate style helmet) next at 16 skating a halfpipe and I went on to have 11 concussions that I remember. From 2013-2015 (Well after my last concussion) I was barely keeping it together. I actually didn't file or pay my taxes those years. I just couldn't focus, my business suffered too, I wasn't returning calls and emails, I kept thinking, how much longer can I keep it together. Then, right around the time I turned 50 the brain fog started to clear.

I had really stepped up my meditation practice around the same time and I think that really helped. Every time I start slacking on meditation I start feeling more scattered.

Matt's somersault story really struck me, I'm terrified of getting upside down, just rolling on mat freaks me out.

Like Jeff said, I do feel like I ride better than ever now! I'm more caculated yet faster. So you can come back from this.

Thanks for putting this together, I've never heard Matt so candid before. It made me feel so good (good that I am not alone in this and sad for Matt and me that this is happening) to hear that he sometimes can't name a tree or salt shaker, that happens to me all the time and it is so frustrating!
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jeff.brines
3 years ago
Thanks for weighing in, Gene. Its easy to fixate on what isn't working and sometimes harder to see what is working. Thanks for bringing up meditation as a way to clear the fog a bit.

As I get older it seems this is going to be about lifestyle management as much as anything. Cut down on the after ride beers, be more dialed with my diet, sleep more, mediate, etc.

These sort of things matter for everyone, but for a dude like me it seems even more important. Its not always easy to adhere to, but make life a whole lot easier when you do!
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c50 Aline 1377045867
BetterRide.net
3 years ago
Jeff, I went Keto for two years and that really helped too. Now I try and just eat enough carbs to make through my rides but probably not keto anymore. Sleep is huge, I have a routine I follow every night to calm my thoughts so I can sleep.

Also, when it feels like my neurons just aren't connecting a 20 minute nap does wonders.

I really think my meditation may have repaired some of the damage from my concussions. The last four years, from 51-55 have been my best mentally since my early 40s. So I think there is hope for all of us if we manage our lifestyle as you said.
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