From Setbacks to Strength: The Long Road to Recovery After a Life-Changing Accident

Cycling demands precision. A small mistake can lead to serious consequences, no matter your skill level. It doesn’t matter whether you are competing at a world championship level or simply riding to the local dairy. The margin for error when on a bike is small, and when things go wrong, they can go very wrong.

A small mistake can lead to serious consequences

Recently, I experienced this firsthand during preparations for the UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships in Chile. A minor error on the trail resulted in a significant spine injury, forcing me into weeks of recovery and reflection. This post shares my journey through injury, the lessons learned, and the path forward.

Mountain bike resting on rocky trail in Chilean mountains

The Moment Everything Changed

Cycling is thrilling but unforgiving. On that day in Chile, a split-second lapse caused me to lose control. The crash left me with a serious injury to my spine and soft tiisues, affecting nerves that control my arms. The pain was intense and constant, forcing me to stay on my back for weeks. The accident was a harsh reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.

I won’t go into detail about the accident itself, partly out of embarrassment, but also because I do not wish to relive what was, quite frankly, a traumatic event.

Being in a remote mountain area, and longer than two hours drive away from the nearest hospital made the situation more difficult. Our limited Spanish made communication a challenge. I couldn’t move freely, relying on others for help in an unfamiliar place. This added stress to an already tough situation. So, for almost four weeks, after scans confirmed the nature of the injuries, it was the best part of four weeks mostly lying on my back in a mountain cottage waiting patiently to be sufficiently healed to safely make the long journey back to New Zealand.

Taking Responsibility and Facing Reality

I want to be clear: this injury was my responsibility. No other person or vehicle was involved. I knew the risks of cycling, and this was a consequence of my own mistake. Owning this fact helped me focus on what I could control—my recovery.

Accepting responsibility is crucial after any setback. It allows you to learn from the experience instead of blaming external factors. This mindset helped me stay grounded during the difficult weeks that followed.

Small Steps at a Time

Recovering from this kind of injury is slow and demanding. My first goal was simple: get well enough to travel back home to New Zealand safely. This meant managing pain, preventing further damage, and maintaining hope.

My intention is to return to partial work next week, although this will be done carefully and progressively. This will require a slow and disciplined rehabilitation process.

The good news is that this type of rehabilitation is very much my bread and butter. My first real role in the health sector was at Dunedin Hospital during the mid to late 1970s, working with patients recovering from serious conditions, mostly spinal injuries, neurological, such as stroke, Parkinsons, and head injuries, but also vascular and respiratory.

Here are some strategies that helped me through recovery to where I am at now:

• Rest and Immobilisation: Staying on my back was uncomfortable but necessary to avoid worsening the injury, and to allow gradual stabilisation.

• Pain Management: Working closely with doctors to find the right medications and therapies. Keeping mentally distracted, relaxation techniques and so on.

• Supportive Treatments: such as osteopathy and massage.

• Mental Focus: Using mindfulness and positive thinking to cope with frustration and fear.

• Support Network: Relying on friends, family, and medical staff for practical and emotional help.

  
  

Each day brought small improvements, although, as anticipated, the pain and disability worsened and peaked at around 8-10 days post-accident (It is important to understand how and why these injuries feel worse before they get better, otherwise one may become terribly depressed and may even panic). Celebrating these moments of improvement, no matter how slight they might have been kept me motivated, and positive. Mind you, there moment of despair, especially as I pondered making the journey back to New Zealand. I will write an article about this matter of pain management. Keep an eye out for it.

There have also been positives

My daughter, Mary-Ann, competed and achieved an outstanding third place against the best in the world in her category. To witness that, even from the sidelines, was something very special.

Lessons Learned from the Setback

This experience taught me several important lessons that apply beyond cycling:

• Respect the Risks: No matter your experience, danger is real and ever-present.

• Prepare for the Unexpected: Knowing emergency contacts, language basics, and local resources can save time and stress.

• Listen to Your Body: Pain is a warning sign, not something to push through blindly.

• Accept Help: Recovery is not a solo journey. Allow others to support you.

• Stay Patient: Healing takes time. Rushing can cause setbacks.

  
  

These lessons will guide me in future cycling and life challenges.

Looking Ahead: Setting New Goals

While the injury changed my plans, it did not end my passion for cycling, or enjoying the Great Outdoors. My focus now is on gradual rehabilitation and regaining strength.

As was already part of my thinking prior to this trip, I had planned to transition, not completely away from cycling, but to reduce my focus on it over the coming year and instead concentrate more on running, which I enjoy. It also appeals strongly to my competitive spirit, which remains very much alive and well. That remains the plan.

Recovery is a journey, not a destination. Each step forward is progress.

There is something deeply important about getting out into the great outdoors, whether it is running, or strolling through the hills, along a coastline, or simply moving through nature. That connection, that freedom, is very much at the heart of what I believe in and what the Freerangers philosophy is all about.

Supporting Others Facing Setbacks

If you or someone you know is dealing with a serious injury or setback, here are some tips that helped me:

• Stay Connected: Isolation makes recovery harder. Keep in touch with loved ones. Engage with them, be honest about how you are feeling during the moment, and accept genuine offers of help. Express gratitude.

• Stay Connected with Nature: This may be as simple as lying back in a chair in the garden for a shorrt time during the day, or a leisurely walk in the sunshine and fresh air.

• Eat Nutrient-Dense Food: avoid the junk, other than for the occasional treat.

• Set Realistic Goals: Break recovery into manageable milestones.

• Listen to your Body and Mind: If you listen carefully, it will tell you when to push a little more and when to back off and rest.

• Seek Professional Help: Don’t hesitate to ask for medical or psychological support.

• Focus on What You Can Control: Let go of what’s beyond your reach.

• Keep Hope Alive: Believe in your ability to heal and move forward.

  
  

Sharing experiences can provide comfort and strength.

Acknowledgements

I would also like to acknowledge the incredible support I have received over this time. My partner, Alofa, has provided constant care, patience, and kindness throughout what has been a very trying period. I simply could not have managed this without her.

I also want to acknowledge the support of my daughter, Mary-Ann, her husband Paul, and their two boys, who arrived a couple of weeks after my injury. Along with Alofa, they were absolutely invaluable in helping me manage the return journey to New Zealand, including navigating the practical challenges and language barriers with medical staff, internal travel, and the airlines, with Paul’s fluency in Spanish proving especially helpful.

Likewise, I want to acknowledge the kindness and goodwill of the Chilean people who, despite language barriers and unfamiliar surroundings, did what they could to support me during my recovery. That generosity has not gone unnoticed.

And perhaps most importantly, I have been reminded, once again, of something I have always believed: The body wants to heal. Given the right conditions, the right inputs, and the right mindset, it will.

This is not a quick fix situation that I am facing. This is not about shortcuts or clever tricks. This is about time, patience, and consistent, intelligent rehabilitation. That is now my path.

I am now home, resting, and looking forward with considerable optimism to making a full recovery.

In the meantime, I appreciate your patience because, for a few months I will be slower to respond, slower to engage, and more selective in what I take on. That is necessary.

I will be back, stronger, wiser, and with even greater conviction to the principles I have always stood for.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Gary