Head to the US and ask the motorsport community about racing on ovals. They say it’s not a matter of if you will crash, it is a matter of when! Race on an oval and you will, for sure, crash at some stage in your career. It is the same with mountain biking. No matter at what level you ride at, you will come off the bike at some point. How hard you crash, well, that may be whether you are lucky or not. And, what’s more, I speak from good (or bad) experience.
It’s not a matter of mountain biking being dangerous, it is that there are more variables at play than road cycling and on any off-road terrain, there is always either a tree root, a rock, a pot hole or something on the track that may catch you out.
Regarding the latest news about SVG and his apparent mountain bike crash resulting in surgery to his collarbone requiring a plate to be inserted:
This raises two questions.
First, should top athletes (drivers) be limited in their off-track activity?
There’s good arguments for and against and that’s probably enough said on that matter. If you want to get really fit, then you need to ride a road bike (either on the road or on a trainer in the garage). Mountain biking will maintain a level of fitness but there is more bang-for-buck for the same time spent on a road bike.
The second question, which I see has already been suggested, ‘Why was SVG told not to compete in speedway while in NZ over the summer, but mountain bike riding was not off the agenda?’ As I said in the opening paragraph, race on ovals or ride a mountain bike, it is a matter of when you will crash or come off.
If SVG hadn’t be banned from competing at Western Springs, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.
All the very best, Shane, on your recovery. My money is on you to win the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship.
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