Rider Down
October 23, 2009
By Allen Stoddard
Finding out bad news is never fun, especially when it involves a great friend of mine. On Saturday, October 17 a friend of mine, Justin Wyche, went down hard at his local dirt jumps. Earlier that day Justin rode for about 30 miles on a cross-country training ride and was very fatigued when he went to the jump park. This resulted in Justin falling and landing on his head hard. From what I know he messed up something in his spinal cord and was paralyzed.
Justin is the kid you see at races who is always smiling and has only positive things to say. His smile is contagious when you see it, for me at least because Justin always made me smile or laugh. The kid is an amazing friend too, I have learned a lot from him and he has given me confidence when I was nervous or in doubt at races.
He is also an extremely talented rider who can compete with top pros. His speed on the track amazed me with how smooth and stylish a rider can be while hauling ass. I enjoyed riding with Justin at races and we also had a blast riding in Canada together! He is a strong person and I feel comfortable saying that he will be okay. Downhill racers are almost like brothers; we all care about each other and when one of our brothers is down, it affects us all. We are cheering you on Justin and we have your back!
I plan on visiting Justin soon to keep him company and to bring him some cookies along with gifts. Contact me if you would like me to take Justin anything when I visit him. All my thoughts and prayers are with Justin and his family. STAY STRONG BUDDY!
Allen Stoddard
