Diary of a rider… made of different stuff

Today we continue with the adventures, experiences and life of rider José Terré in the fifth chapter of Diary of a rider…, so don’t miss the most personal side of a rider, which on this occasion is a clear demonstration that riders are made of different stuff, of their spirit of overcoming and their daily fight to recover.

The fifth edition of this Diary comes after the fall and the scare of the previous chapter; now it’s time to get up and keep fighting. Not giving up is essential during the long days of recovery and rehabilitation, and, as always, friends and family are essential.

I wish I had the genes of a lizard or the powers of Wolverine so my body would regenerate that fast.

Injuries require their time. In reality it takes time and patience, lots of patience. Although each day I have less of it, it’s running out; maybe it’s because I can’t keep training, or maybe someone is stealing it from me.

Despite all the obstacles I encounter, I know I will get to the other side of the wall. I know I’m capable of that and much more, without needing other genes or extra superpowers. The ones I have are enough for me. And now is the time to think about the path and not the destination, because when I arrive I will have to be prepared. I don’t want to arrive without knowing exactly how I did it, since every step is a lesson, even if, for now at least, I have to take them a little limping.

When you have injuries (which I hope you never do), if you come across sports doctors they will always give you two options to get “recovered”: the fastest (not healthy) and the longest (clearly the healthy one). After several visits to the doctor and having MRIs, ultrasounds and X-rays, it wasn’t all as simple as they first told me.

The result of the fall was:

• Sprained foot
• Knee ligament injury
• Shoulder injury
• Cervical injury
• Calf muscle fibre tear

A long medical report, although luckily I already feel much better.

The fall happened 5 days before one of the most significant races on the calendar (Montmeló), but I was in great shape, and I got it into my head that I had to try to race at that event for two reasons: one, because it was Montmeló, and two, to get the paranoia of the fall out of my system. My advice is that when you have a fall, don’t hesitate: get back on the bike as soon as you can, ideally the same day, otherwise the next day, whenever it is, but as soon as possible (if your body allows it).

I spent the whole week going to the doctor, and the truth is that at Teknon they treated me very well; even knowing we wanted to race at the Circuit that weekend, they gave me priority and the test results came almost immediately. But unfortunately all the news they gave me was bad: the doctors saw it as far too hasty and proposed an injection, but I ruled it out completely. So I opted for the logical choice: all week on crutches or shut in at home working. No training, rest, (medical) pills and ice. The most I did was walk as best I could with the crutches, and not much, because my shoulder was hurting; imagine the picture.

As the days passed and everyone else was getting ready for the weekend race, I had to visit the doctor, hooked up to machines and little devices too. In those days, if you gave me a light bulb and I held it, I’d light it up!

Obviously my family and closest circle didn’t know that, from the very minute after the fall, my intention was to race at Montmeló. After I mentioned it, few people supported me. If you find yourself in this situation, some will tell you that if you’re not a professional it’s not worth it, others that you’re crazy, and some will understand and support you. All of the people who supported and understood me were active riders, obviously because with the experience they have they’ve lived through similar situations. The only way to pull that thorn out, that feeling, is to face the race normally and accept falls and injuries as part of this sport. One of the things that obsessed me most during the week was why I was left without brakes. We took the bike to Motos Crous, and in the end they found the reason I had lost my brakes. A bad fitting of the quick throttle? Maybe it moved when transporting the bike on the strap, or I myself moved the position of the bar ends… It doesn’t matter; I wasn’t worried about finding someone to blame, I already knew why, and I was much calmer.

The problem was that the quick throttle anchor was parallel to the ground, and this, combined with the fatigue of the brake pump, made the anchor bolts hit their stop and the lever couldn’t be pressed. In fact the lever has a significant notch from the force I put into trying to brake, so as not to put force into it….

On Thursday we went to pick up the bike (the good part of injuries, now that nobody is watching, I’ll say that it’s great to have everything done for you! Let’s see how long before they give me a good one after they read this…). The reunion. We arrived at the workshop and I had to get down from a big van on crutches, which is worse than abseiling. How useless I felt on crutches… The bike was perfect. Actually the worst of it was mine, all I had were some grazed fibres and not much else, but I was very nervous because I knew that if I couldn’t place my leg properly on the footpeg when I got there, Friday’s training would be cancelled immediately. Well, I managed to get on properly. Did it hurt? Yes… but bearable, and I was happy! Of course, stationary it’s not the same, but I got on!

To be honest, on Thursday night I was quite nervous; I didn’t know how my leg would react, nor my shoulder or… nor, in short, my body. The day came; at Montmeló it was a perfect day, ideal temperature, and the bike was ready. While they unloaded the bike I sat down and took my time putting on the suit, since I couldn’t extend or bend my leg; I struggled a bit with the pain putting on the suit, but after that a few little pills, assorted creams and… go! With crutches and the suit… quite a sight.

I got a bit annoying with my team during the morning before getting on:
“Have you checked the brakes properly?”
“Yes, yes, everything’s perfect.”

After 15 minutes:
“So it won’t happen again, right?”
“No, no, everything’s been checked and we already saw where the problem came from.”

Again, after 15 minutes:
“So I can go out calmly, right?”
“Yes, yes!! What patience you need….”

When it was time to get on, despite everything, I checked the brakes. It had only been 5 days since the fall and I had a bit of paranoia. Quick look and to work. The support from everyone in the Motos Crous team is brutal; I can’t stop saying how good it feels to share the box with them and to do next season with them. The first smile when I got back on the bike is unavoidable.

The first lap very calm, with the unknown of how my right leg would respond. We started with the standard settings, so it was time to start pushing the pace. On the next lap, going through the big corner, when my knee touched the ground I felt a bit of discomfort, but completely bearable; the sharp direction changes do take their toll, and by the first lap I didn’t even know how to position myself. I crossed the line: 2:04, 2:01, 2:00, 1:59… and stopped. I don’t know whether it was all the medication I had on board, the heat or the pain, but I felt quite dizzy, so I drank some water and went out again. I did three laps and came in; it was impossible to position myself properly on the bike and now, after forcing the leg, the pain was constant, and I tried to avoid touching the knee to the ground on a circuit where most corners are right-handers and some are as pronounced as the big corner.

I gave up, but at least I tried. I wasn’t sad; I couldn’t race the next day, but I was calm and happy, for me, a personal victory. The bike was going very well; now I just had to recover. As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m still going to rehabilitation and I have a couple of weeks more, and anyone who tells me I’m going to the physio for a little massage can come along.

I hope to get back on the bike soon; right now it’s at Quality Bike to sort out a few things, and it will also be time to paint the fibres with a new livery. Change of team, change of livery, change of everything. We’ll continue with Quality Bike, my main sponsor, and with most of the companies that help us, but there will be some changes. This mini-season is one to forget; now the aim is to get the bike ready and develop it.

I want to thank the guys at Sportmototeam, who have been there encouraging me; the whole Motos Crous team; and everyone who, sometimes with a simple WhatsApp message, a call or an email, makes you smile and encourages you. So many people have surprised me by being there, and so many have disappointed me, but it’s a good moment to pigeonhole people again and know when they’ll be there and when they won’t. And as in daily life, to have a good time, people join quickly; for everything else… But above all, never lose your smile.

A hug to everyone and, as always, next time… more and better!!!!

Gixer#12

Follow him on Twitter @Gixer12 and on Facebook.