18/03/2022
A lucky escape for Mr Edd
I caught up with a good friend Edd Gilbertson yesterday who is currently recovering from a near fatal cycling accident he had when descending a hill on his bike last week. He unfortunately hit a pothole in the road, not having a firm grip on the handle bars which caused his hands to bounce off the bars sending him headfirst into a wall. After losing consciousness for a few minutes, a nearby local legend called for an ambulance and Edd later found out that he had broken his C2 Vertebrae, snapping the Odontoid peg, in other words, Edd had broken his neck! He was rushed straight into surgery where screws have been put in place to re-attach and set the bone back into the correct position. It's safe to say that this story could have been a tragically different one and Edd is extremely lucky to be recovering as well as he is.
He is in great spirits despite having to spend the next 6 weeks in a neck brace and he's already itching to get back on the bike.
Edd has been participating in some local racing in the Wellington and Hawkes Bay regions lately and absolutely loving it so he is gutted to not be on the bike building on that, although talking to his girlfriend Marisa, i'm not sure there will be much racing going on from now on by the sounds of it!
Being a regular rider and club member of USO Bike Ride , and the support that the club gives when things like this happen is phenomenal, so he is in great hands with plenty of love and care around him on his road to recovery.
It was great to see Edd smiling and enjoying this forced relaxation period that life has thrown upon him. To cheer him up, we hooked Edd up with a t-shirt with a new design we have been playing around with. Edd has nicknamed the shirt "Beasty" which is fantastic, so keep a look out for Beasty to appear in the shop very soon!
As a final message, and as mentioned above, this was a very familiar cycling route that Edd has ridden time and time again, so this accident was an extreme shock to everyone around him. Always stay humble to the dangers that we are up against when we are out there doing what we love! Kia Kaha Edd x