After revealing he’d sustained serious injuries in an innocuous crash, Fabien Barel is updating fans on his recovery.
The iconic French rider, now in charge of Canyon Cllctv’s gravity racing program, posted his first update since the initial announcement, saying “It’s been tough, especially after the great season we’ve had.”
Barel shared that fractures to his spine and legs are all under control and should heal properly. “Feeling in my right hand is a struggle,” he added, though “mobility in my arms and legs is now 100 per cent.”
We’re all pretty happy to hear that, while still obviously serious, Barel has avoided the worst-case scenarios. It’s always a little frightening to see a rider leaving a crash on a spinal board.
While things are looking up, there’s still a long road ahead for Barel. He admitted that, while we all know that crashes happen, the first week was “A big of a mental game, to be honest.”
Barel closed on a positive note, saying he is looking forward, not back and that “My determination is the strongest it’s ever been and I’ll fight my way back.”
Not a result of extreme riding
Barel also took the chance to clear up the particulars of his crash. With his initial news coming while the cycling world was still reeling from Adolf Silva’s horror crash at Red Bull Rampage, the Frenchman wanted to be clear that his case was very different.
“Some people are attempting to say I am taking too much risk. I wasn’t,” Barel stated clearly. “It was simple testing and there was no need to push.”
Saying that it was the sort of crash that could happen any time, Barel added “All riders know that. We know the consequences.”