Lukas Verzbicas...is walking with a walker and learning to walk again...

Im sure Lukas would easily trade the positions of Fernandez, Nelson, and Virgin for what he has now. None of those compare in extent to what he is experiencing. Bad coaching and minor injuries can be fixed or at least not completely eliminate a running career. Those 3 could at least place in regional and local races.

common wrote:

I'm not a touchyfeely guy BUT! wrote:

I think a lot of that interview is in poor taste.

Is rehashing his athletic progression, focus on his history, asking what it feels like to win or do well at an early age really the right way to interview a kid who doesn't even know if he can live unassisted yet?

Absolutely. The longer it went on, I'm just thinking, "Did Lukas agree to this? This interviewer is being a huge asshole."

He tweeted about the interview (1st interview after accident) and then tweeted the link to it the next day, so he must not have minded too much.

nathan jessup wrote:

..word up. You're not safe either running or cycling!!!

The roads are littered with douche-bags that are texting, yapping, and simply not paying attention!

A 2,000-4000lbs. auto, SUV, truck will win every time!!!

If only LV had stayed in school, Oregon or anywhere else...we wouldn't be reading this tragic story.

He crashed on his own when he was braking on wet sand for a corner. No cars or SUVs involved.

There is a risk of getting hit by a car while running, but this is a completely different situation. There is no risk of tripping and falling while running on the roads.

jimmy fallow wrote:

[quote]nathan jessup wrote:

There is no risk of tripping and falling while running on the roads.

Tell that to Uceny. A track is even more smooth.

Jeff Gordon wrote:

jimmy fallow wrote:

[quote]nathan jessup wrote:

There is no risk of tripping and falling while running on the roads.

Tell that to Uceny. A track is even more smooth.

YES. Beat me to it. Exact line I was going to use.

Ha! OK, how about "no risk of tripping and falling *and seriously injuring yourself" while running on the roads".

I actually stopped riding because of so many close calls with cars, I knew it was only a matter of time. Since then two of my close friends had bad accidents, both spent days in a hospital and required long rehab.

I'm still a little shocked that LV's accident was on his own.

Seems like an appropriate time to post one of my favorite running pictures:

http://i.imgur.com/4LvzT.jpg

Damn it ...sonof ..dammmmm! Hope he gets way well again. Heck those steel rods are gonna be extra weight he has to haul around. Just kidding.

ducksoup1 wrote:

The curse is on the sub 4 high school milers.

LV: Bike crash

JR: Fell in Olympics when favorite

JD: Murdered wife and in jail

ML: Injured at Olympics when favorite

AW: Never ran to potential in major races

OK, I'll bite - who is JD?

i think they meant TD. tim danielson or donaldson right?

"...I hope all you younger dudes who think you are immortal enjoy the gift you have to train hard and run fast, it doesn't last forever and can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye."

Correct.

I'd like to chime in here that if you ride responsibly and ride defensively you'll be fine.

LV'll be fine that what separates him from us ordinary mortals. On the other hand, take the quote above seriously if you are a cyclist. Don't be afraid of the bike just be cautious. From the interview, it sounds like LV was doing a loop course and ran into the sand but panicked and hit his front brake first resulting in a head over the handlebar. Whatever you cyclists do --- always remember RIGHT IS REAR BRAKE even pros forget that in panicky situations. And if you don't know a route's decent (downhill portion) don't descend like a tour de france rider, slow down and apply your brakes on that downhill portion, especially after a rain or wind storm. Despite that LV will be fine I can tell from his disposition. Mental visualization will be his friend as he recovers.

Good bike advice.

Other than that, you don't know sht about weather LV will be fine.

His attitude is on automatic...you can hear the fear and hesitation in his voice...he's an optimist having had great parents and great success at an early age, but has NFC (no freaking clue) whether he is going to make it all the way back and be fully physically able ever again.

We can only hope so.

But you cannot baldly make that assumption.

What a dickhead post.

LV need prayers and hopes right now...if he never regains full use of his right leg elite fitness wise.......he's done.

Look at the atrophy already in the picture.

The kid is scared, and too young to not be positive. The Positivity will help with whatever recovery he can make, but it is not guarantee he comes all the way back.

I hope he does.

Glad he didn't go the way of Sally Meyerhoff.

No one posting on here can do anything other than offer hope and prayers and best wishes. None of us can give a prognosis for this young athlete.

None of us have access to his medical records. This could be anything from a cord injury like some sort of partial Brown-Sequard, that will not improve, to a simple cord contusion that will improve, to a peripheral nerve injury that might be able to rewire and return to full function. Optimistic disposition is certainly important but is no guarantee of outcome - anyone old enough to have lived through the Christopher Reeves saga will know that. On the other hand, athletes certainly experience cord shock/contusion all the time and do, indeed, have good recoveries. The fact that he appears to have already had some improvement certainly makes one hopeful. Only time will tell.

I wish him all the best, and agree with the cautions being expressed by others. I used to be an avid cyclist and gave it up after a couple of near death experiences with cars, and after taking care of a good friend in the ER who came in mangled after car vs. bike. Running has its risks but overall is much safer.You still have no control over cars or crazies, but there is certainly little to no risk of solo accidents like this one.

You are simply wrong here. When in trouble and need to stop, use your front brake! It is much safer for a number of reasons. The rear brake will cause you to go into a skid and it will lock up. The front brake is not dangerous if you know what you are doing. Everybody who knows anything about biking know: USE YOUR FRONT BRAKE to stop. http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Atman wrote:

Whatever you cyclists do --- always remember RIGHT IS REAR BRAKE even pros forget that in panicky situations. And if you don't know a route's decent (downhill portion) don't descend like a tour de france rider, slow down and apply your brakes on that downhill portion, especially after a rain or wind storm. Despite that LV will be fine I can tell from his disposition. Mental visualization will be his friend as he recovers.

Mr. Reef wrote:

This is painful to look at!

http://t.co/IhA11zsg

What strikes me about this picture is how a strong, lean runner can suddenly look so skinny and frail.

Mrs. M wrote:

Mr. Reef wrote:

This is painful to look at!

http://t.co/IhA11zsg

What strikes me about this picture is how a strong, lean runner can suddenly look so skinny and frail.

Totally agree. Sad.

He has something like 5 bars in his spine now...

Bikers crash all the time, even professionals. Your advice is nice and all, but if you ride hard there's always a chance of disaster. I hate this "well, it couldn't happen if he were only CAREFUL" talk that comes after something goes wrong.

BGuyJMilleniumXII wrote:

seriously messed up. I hope those opposed to stem cell research might reconsider. He was just beginning to get his feet wet as a really good triathlete. It seems unreal.

At least he is not paralyzed, and, more importantly, he is young which means he should have many years to become competitive again.

"more importantly" !?