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TAREK RASOULI / TARA LLANES / JOHNNY WADDELL / SAUL RAISIN / PAUL CRAKE STEVE PEAT / OENONE WOOD / CADEL EVANS / IRINA KALENTIEVA |
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Johnny crashed in Canada from 25 feet in the air onto his head and didn’t move. He didn’t move for weeks. He lay in a coma in hospital, no one knowing the extent of his injuries. It was unlikely he’d ever ride again. Then, 26 days later, Johnny woke up. Johnny began his career at 13, “I loved riding my bike, went to a race and my competitive drive took over.” A few years later he was a pro downhill rider in the US, getting 5th in the World Champ’s in ‘02 and winning the final NORBA (US National Series) race at Mt Snow, “...it was an awesome race run, I fully punched it, wicked feeling!” The ‘03 season started well. Then he went to Mont Saint Anne, Canada in July. He’s barely touched a downhill bike since. But Johnny’s not one to give up what he loves and grab a desk job. He decided he wanted to get into endurance racing. “To be able to race a 24hr solo requires a great deal of determination, willpower and dedication. These were all things that I felt I had. It was good to have something new to focus on.” So, recovering from a near death experience, Johnny began clocking up the training, “...there was no messing around, I was straight into it.”
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Straight into it he was. He raced the Australian Solo 24hr Champ’s in ’05, and finished 12th. The next year he was 9th, qualifying him for the World Solo Champ’s. “I’m a goal setter. The Solo World’s was a goal and it had to be done. I’d qualified, now I had to race.” A year later Johnny was crossing the line of the World Solo Champ’s in 6th place, the highest placed Aussie in the Elite field. “Yeah it was a massive success for me, way beyond my expectations.” From a serious crash in July ’03, Johnny has re-built himself as one of the most competitive 24hr riders in the world, inspiring plenty along the way. “It’s impossible to understand the steps I’ve gone through unless you’ve walked them with me. It’s been massive, it’s still going. The brain is weird; it just gets better by itself. You’ve gotta guide it and make sure you don’t do anything stupid – like meth or crack – but time and patience are the best things for recovery.” This relaxed Aussie has clearly developed through the tough times and is happy to be where he is, “I’m not any particular sort of rider, I don’t do downhill, I don’t do cross country, I’m a rider. I’m for the sport.” |
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