The 2024 Breck Epic ended on a somber note for all of the cyclists involved in the race. 

After five days of spirited racing, the sixth and final stage on Aug. 16 came to an abrupt halt when Durango’s Howard Grotts collided with a tree about a mile away from the finish line.

Grotts, who was leading the pro men’s overall standings and chasing after Matt Pike for the final stage win, hit the tree with such force that he wrapped himself around it and was subsequently knocked unconscious. 

Soon after the crash, several cyclists, including Breckenridge’s Lasse Konecny rode up on Grotts and discovered he was not moving.

Recognizing that the situation was dire, cyclists from the men’s pro field then stopped their races so they could help in the emergency situation by performing life-saving techniques, informing race organizers or getting first responders to the area. 

Due to the quick response from everyone involved, Grotts was airlifted to a hospital in Denver for further care. With the race results shaken up by the mid-race emergency, the pro men’s field came together and decided that the Stage 6 results would be neutralized in fairness to Grotts and the riders who stopped to lend a hand.

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In the hospital, Grotts discovered that he had broken his collarbone; dislocated his right ring finger; suffered compression, transverse and teardrop fractures to numerous vertebrae; fractured his first and second ribs; fractured his scapula and suffered a serious concussion. 

Due to the extent of his injuries, Grotts spent a week in the hospital, where he went under the knife twice. Grotts got spinal fusion surgery from his T4 and T11 vertebrae and then got a plate put in his collarbone. 

Once all the surgeries had been completed, Grotts spent a week in a rehabilitation hospital where he learned how to navigate all his injuries while being in a neck brace. Three weeks after the crash, Grotts then returned back to Durango.

“I was in the neck collar for another six weeks and doing (physical therapy) occasionally when I was still in the neck collar,” Grotts said. “Now I am doing (physical therapy) two times a week. It is just slow. Obviously, I can look back and see where I was and realize I have come a long way.”

One of the most frustrating things Grotts had to come to terms with regarding his recovery was not being able to move as much as he used to prior to the crash.

As a professional mountain biker sponsored by Specialized, Grotts has spent his career getting out on the trails and pushing his body daily. To suddenly not be able to train and move like he has for years has been a bit of an adjustment and mental speedbump.

“We started with quarter-mile walks and then worked up from there,” Grotts said. “Now I get to face the fact that I am not nearly as fit as I was before the accident.”

Despite knowing that he has a ways to go before making a full recovery, Grotts does not feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

“As long as I have enough energy, my mind stays pretty good,” Grotts said. “I obviously have a ways to go, but it is not overwhelming. When I am really tired, the mind space goes downhill a little bit. It has been good to distract myself with books I have wanted to read and getting out for short, really mellow activities.”

Over two months after the crash occurred, Grotts allowed himself to get back on his bike for easy bike rides. Although the ride was not recommended by Grotts’ doctors, the brief excursions provides a moment of bliss for the lifelong cyclist.

“I have ridden a bike for 25 years or something, so I feel like I am at less of a fall risk than most of the population,” Grotts said. “I am going to commute to (physical therapy) on the bike. Around three months is when I can actually get on to some more serious training, but that will still look very low key.”

Making steady progress in his physical therapy sessions, Grotts tentatively plans to return to racing, but he is hesitant to crash again. With his long-term health at the top of his mind, Grotts has also considered stepping away from mountain bike racing in order to focus on other biking-focused projects.

“The head injury could become way worse and the bones need a solid year to be fully healed,” Grotts said. “I have been thinking of other projects that I could do outside of racing — like fastest known times or king of the mountain attempts to keep me sane and make me feel like I am involved. Help out the team and be a professional athlete in another way.”

Following weeks of recovery, Grotts is still astonished at the power of the mountain biking community and its response to his accident at the Breck Epic. 

“It is extremely special,” Grotts said. “It is the world I have been in for so many years so you don’t take it for granted, but you do not realize how tight-knit the community is and how many people you can impact being a professional athlete until you really need that help. I was just amazed and extremely thankful to everyone who showed up in one way or another. … It gives me a whole new appreciation for the cycling community.”

Breck Epic founder Mike McCormack even organized a relief fund for Grotts following the scary accident. Over the last few months, the cycling community has contributed over $105,000 helping Grotts pay for his recovery expenses.

“Mike McCormack and the whole Breck Epic team were absolutely admirable when things went down,” Grotts said. “It is a really great race and they show up when it counts. There is probably not a good race to crash at, but I am glad it was that one because the whole Breckenridge community did what needed to be done. I am really appreciative of Breckenridge.”