“Chasing The Unknown” – Sean Green’s love for the outdoors and mountain biking
“Small hills are dangerous”. For a man with a project to climb every Munro and cycle down them, it’s not something you would expect mountain-biker Sean Green would ever say. But after suffering a broken neck whilst competing in the Scottish Downhill Association in Dumfries-shire’s Ae Forest in August, Sean finds he has another mountain to climb. Full recovery is the long-term goal, but he has a target closer at hand – to give a talk at this year’s Dundee Mountain Film Festival.
Naturally, the accident back in August is forefront in his mind. “I wasn’t charging hard,” he recalls. “During my final round at Ae, I went down hard on my final practice run on the Sunday Morning. Dropping into the elevator everything felt fine, but after the initial compression I’ve lifted again, and when my wheels have hit the ground for the second time, my front has dug in, sending me into the ground. I was also told I tried to cuddle the finish barrier with my head.
“Considering how quickly I was moved off-track and then the difficulty the medic had in pinpointing my injury, I figured it must have just been bruising. I still intended to visit hospital but I wanted to be nearer home.”
Sean then drove 160 miles to Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital where, after a few CT scans, it was discovered he’d broken his C7 vertebrae and fractured his C3, C4 and C5.
“It definitely should have been a lot more serious. I’ve no idea how I got so lucky but I’m very grateful…”
In his weeks of recuperation, there have been two shining lights – his wife and his mum. “I cannot give enough credit to my wife through this ordeal”, Sean continues. “She bathes me, she feeds me, she dresses me, she picks me up when I am down and she polices me when I get too ahead of myself. She is my therapist, my physio, my counsellor and my best friend.”
Playing no mean supporting role is the other Mrs Green. To help with some of pressure Sean’s wife has been under, like running the household and sorting kids, Sean’s mum has been batch-cooking meals for the family to enjoy every 2-3 days and dropping them off.
“I cannot thank the two of them enough. There are no words to describe my gratitude and appreciation.”
It’s a roller-coaster ride for Sean. One day he’s in bed all day, the other he feels totally fine and ready to take on the world again. That is, until reality dawns. Patience, patience is the key
“Since breaking my neck I feel like I haven’t been this obsessed with bikes since I was a kid. Constantly consuming bike media or working on the bikes. Hell, sometimes I go into the garage and just look at them.
“During this time, I’ve also been working hard to keep my mind busy by sitting at the laptop (as long as the pain allows), and putting together a short film of the project.
“After just over two months, I finally got together a first draft of my film which is really exciting! This film will be showcased at the Dundee Mountain Film Festival in December, where I will also be doing a talk on the project. I’m pretty terrified at that prospect, though!”
You can hear Sean’s talk entitled “Chasing The Unknown” in Abertay University, on Saturday 6th December at 2.00pm.
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