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NZ's top mountain biker faces hurdle of learning to walk and ride again after horror crash

Brook Macdonald crashed on a Canadian mountain bike track just over a month ago.

Just over four weeks ago Brook MacDonald couldn't feel his legs as he lay on the side of a Canadian mountain bike track after a horror crash in a World Cup practice run.

New Zealand's top downhill mountain biker now faces his biggest career challenge - learning to walk and ride again.

And for a man used to going fast, that pace is hard to handle.

“Its definitely the biggest challenge I'll have to face in my life, but I’m always up for a challenge.”

Two fractured vertebrae has made what was once effortless like simply standing, a mental climb and a physical drain.

“I feel like a little kid again starting to walk you know sitting in a wheel chair and seeing other people walk normally is pretty tough,” he says. 

But his progress is remarkable. Only four weeks ago an exposed tree root at the World Downhill Champs in Canada, sent the MS Mondraker team rider tumbling four metres over his handle bars.

“I instantly thought I was paralysed, I was on the side of the track and couldn’t feel my legs and thought 'yeah this is not good.'”

With two fractured vertebrae he waited four hours for a helicopter.

“I didn’t have any pain killers until about an hour after accident so it was just that I didn’t really have an idea of what was going on, it just didn’t seem like they were organised for an incident like this.”

Six hours of surgery and a week later he returned back to New Zealand

But not to his Hawke's Bay home, he went directly to rehab at Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch. 

“The biggest thing that is helping me too is like I’ve had dreams where I’ve felt like I was walking and it felt so surreal and the next day I’ve got up and I’ve told my physio and I’ve walked,” he says. 

He's had thousands of messages of support but his partner Lucy, has been there every step of the way.

She didn’t at first, believe how serious the crash was.

“I kind of went into this mode -  I had to prepare myself for whatever was coming and we will deal with it and just whatever happens, happens and that I just said I’ll be there.”

Brook says she motivates him to continue to improve.

“Just the support she’s given me, just made my life so much easier.”

Miraculously “The Bulldog” has riding next season in his sights.

“I don’t want to be out for too long, I want to be back as soon as possible, it’s my job and what i love doing so yeah, as soon as I can be back the better.”


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