Durango mountain biker Howard Grotts is making progress after his serious crash at the Breck Epic mountain bike stage race on Aug. 16 in Breckenridge.
Grotts is now out of the hospital and has been transferred to a rehab facility, according to his partner Ellen Campbell. She posted an update on her Instagram story today.
About a mile away from the finish line at Breck Epic, riders found Grotts unconscious on the trail, according to Velo. He then regained consciousness as race medics and the EMS attended to him. Grotts was taken to a hospital in Denver by helicopter
Grotts was riding in the top five of the pro men’s elite field for the first five stages. Velo reported Grotts has multiple injuries to his clavicle, scapula and spine.
“He is doing very well and is now in a rehab facility,” Campbell wrote on Instagram. “There is progress everyday so hopefully we will be back home in the next couple of weeks. Thank you all (again and again) for the amazing support and love.”
Grotts, 31, has been a staple of the Durango mountain biking scene for over a decade. He was the cross-country national champion from 2015-2018. He went to the 2016 Rio Olympics in mountain biking. Grotts won the Leadville Trail 100 three years in a row from 2017-2019. He now races on the Life Time Grand Prix gravel series. He most recently won the 2024 Cape Epic mountain bike pair stage race in South Africa with Matt Beers.
Mike McCormack, the race director of Breck Epic, set up a GoFundMe to help support Grotts’ road to recovery. At the time this article was published, the GoFundMe had raised $95,335.
“Howard is an absolute lion on the bike,” McCormack wrote. “More importantly, he is kind and gentle. Quiet and thoughtful. He rides and acts with dignity, sportsmanship and honor. His temporary absence leaves a huge whole in our community, and he faces a long road to recovery that's going to require deep reserves of courage. And the support of everyone around him.”
To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
