Durango mountain biker Howard Grotts was seriously injured in a crash on Friday during the 2024 Breck Epic mountain bike stage race in Breckenridge.
Grotts was riding in the top five of the pro men’s elite field for the first five stages. Then about a mile away from the finish line, 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 and is currently in stable condition, according to multiple reports.
Velo reported Grotts has multiple injuries to his clavicle, scapula and spine.
Matt Beers, Grotts’ teammate Cape Epic teammate, posted on Instagram two stories, the first a picture of Grotts celebrating their Cape Epic win with the caption, “Thinking of you champ,” followed by the caption on the second story:
“Howie had a really bad fall while leading the Breck epic, he has multiple injuries and broken bones and is getting surgery. We all know he’s incredibly strong, hang in there buddy.”
Grotts, 31, raced at the Leadville Trail 100 last weekend as part of the Life Time Grand Prix series. He dealt with saddle sores the last few months which have kept him out of some races.
No other information is currently known on Grotts’ condition or the severity of his injuries.
A link to a GoFundMe to help Grotts in his recovery can be found here
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
