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Within seconds, Howard Grotts had previously suffered “few broken bones,” but then his injuries were so severe that he had to be flown by rescue helicopter from a hiking trail in Breckenridge to the emergency room in Denver.
After crashing into a tree during the final stage of the Breck Epic mountain bike race on August 16, Grotts’ injuries were too severe to be treated on site in Breckenridge. He underwent several emergency surgeries in Denver and has now been transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility, where he hopes to be released this weekend.
For 31-year-old Grotts, who has been racing since his youth, the accident has put his injury-free life into perspective.
“The fact that I then broke my back and suffered a brain injury was definitely a wake-up call,” he said.
On August 16, Grotts was leading the overall pro field on the sixth and final stage of the Breck Epic, a mountain bike stage race in Colorado, when fellow riders found him unconscious on the side of the trail about a mile from the finish.
No one saw the crash, and Grotts doesn’t know what happened. He’s been told the driver he was chasing may have heard his pedal hit a rock or something. He’s hoping a trip back to the scene of the crash might help put things in perspective.
“I’m curious to revisit the accident scene,” Grotts said. “Although I don’t know if I’ll get anything out of it. Right now I have no idea what I was doing for at least a half hour before the accident and several days afterward… who knows, maybe I overdid it a bit or something.”
Drivers who encountered Grotts along the way initiated a flurry of efforts to get help to the scene. They first called race medics, who then dispatched Summit County Search and Rescue. Grotts eventually regained consciousness and was prepared for helicopter transport. He was flown by helicopter to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver.
In Denver, Grotts was diagnosed with a broken collarbone and shoulder blade, several broken vertebrae, several broken ribs, a dislocated finger and a severe concussion – “I took a pretty hard hit,” he said.
Grotts underwent surgeries to repair his collarbone and to fuse his spine. He says he will not need to undergo further surgery, but he has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of him. That process began as soon as he was released from the hospital and into the rehabilitation facility.
“It definitely keeps me busy,” he said. “Part of it feels productive and part of it feels like the body needs its own time to heal.”
Grotts says he can walk without any problems, “maybe just a little unsteady,” but he has to protect his spine closely to avoid twisting his upper body or making sudden movements. His concussion symptoms are mild and may be more obvious to others than to himself.
As for the emotional recovery, Grotts said he was touched by how many people offered to help him. The accident made him realize how risky cycling is and how much can change in an instant.
“It was definitely incredible to feel the overwhelming support from both the team and the cycling world in general,” he said. “It’s really cool. The cycling community stands together when it needs to. On the other hand, it’s pretty crazy what a dangerous sport we do every day.”
As of Thursday, August 29, a GoFundMe campaign launched by Breck Epic race director Mike McCormack to support Grotts’ medical expenses has raised over $100,000.
