THUNDER BAY – Freestyle motocross rider Bruce Cook lay in a Hamilton hospital bed after surgery on his spine with one thing on his mind: how badly he wanted to get back on his bike.
Cook had revved his way from building dirt lifts on his family’s British Columbia farm all the way to Nitro Circus, the biggest action sports live show in the world.
The 26-year-old had been professional for nine years by January 2014 when he landed a spot in his first live show with the crew that grew from a video series through an MTV show to selling out stadiums across the world.
He had intended to make history in his first show by becoming the first motocross rider ever to land a double front flip.
“I came up a little short on that,” he recalled.
“I ended up sliding off that back of my bike and basically folded in half backwards and ended up breaking my T11 vertebrae.”
Cook had broken 20 bones since he began riding at the age of five but this injury would put him in a wheelchair.
His resolve allowed him to leave the hospital after only 66 days, half the amount of time medical staff had ever seen for someone who had endured that kind of injury.
“That’s what drove me to push through recovery and rehab and physio faster than anyone else: I had the goal in mind that I wanted to get back on my bike.”
He was riding within 10 months of the crash.
The same bike Cook had used in his calamitous fall was fitted with steel tube cages for his legs and seat.
He had a Rekluse clutch installed that keeps the vehicle in first gear to maximize the short speed bursts he’d need to get airborne again.
“One of the scariest parts is the seatbelt that now has to go over me to keep me attached to it,” he said.
“Basically, I’m along for the ride no matter what happens so you have to be on your game for sure because the margin of error is very small now. It always is with these types of extreme sports but even more so now. The practice and training and getting it dialed is extremely important.”
After less than a year’s practice, Cook saddled up for another world first. On Oct. 14, 2015 in Toronto, he became the first paraplegic athlete to land a backflip on a motorcycle.
Cook has been back in his element this summer, performing some 40 shows with Nitro Circus between April and October.
“It definitely could have ended worse that night. I’m just basically counting my blessings. It just teaches you not to take things for granted. We do take a lot for granted every single day and even to this day I think about how it could always be worse. Just replaying that in my mind is good if anything else.”
Cook will perform with Nitro Circus at Port Arthur Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. Organizers promise the event will be over before the Tragically Hip’s last-ever concert is streamed live at Marina Park.
