Danny Macaskill was there to ride with his friend.

Danny Macaskill was there to ride with his friend (click to enlarge).​

Editor's Note: This story was submitted to us by Martyn Ashton. It chronicles his triumphant return back on two wheels.

"Of course I have questioned if I'll walk again, and I don't know if I will or not. But with riding a mountain bike, for whatever reason, it was always 'how are we going to do it'. Never riding a bike again? Well, that never came up." -Martyn Ashton

On Sunday 1st September 2013 at Silverstone's MotoGP, England, mountain bike trials star, Martyn Ashton suffered severe spinal damage following a fall during a stunt show, leaving him paralyzed from the belly button down and using a wheelchair.

A year and a half later on 15th June 2015 Martyn realized his goal of riding again as he became the first person with his condition to ride a mountain bike on two wheels - the uplifting film, Back On Track. In his own words, this is Martyn's remarkable story.

laughs are genuine!

Interview by Matt Skinner and photos by Dave Mackinson

I've been riding bikes for so long that I think it defines my life. Riding is such a natural thing to me - it's who I am. I'm not willing to let go of it despite the situation. All of us who ride bikes - whatever level it is - has the same feeling when they start riding: the exhilaration of riding. The freedom. For some of us that sticks and never goes away. And for me, it's like that.

After my accident, my social media posts suggest I'm laughing the whole way through it and I get so many amazing messages that say I'm handling it so well. In truth it's not like that: I have really, really difficult days and times - I literally have days I can't believe the situation I'm in. I feel emotionally paralysed by it. I'm down and I find it hard to motivate myself. It's tough. I also find seeing the image of myself very distressing. I find it very hard. But I feel that the first scenes of this video - where I'm pushing my chair up the rocky ascent - that's the first time I've seen myself in my chair and thought 'Yeah, that's cool' because that's how it feels like - it's a rocky, uphill struggle - every day. I don't look at myself in my wheelchair and think that's cool like I do when I see great action shots of bike riding. But in this video, I do. I'm truly proud of that and what it means.

A little push at the top of the hill was all that was needed.

A little push at the top of the hill was all that was needed (click to enlarge).​

I've had the cliched thing in my mind in hospital about 'Will I walk again?' and I don't know if I will or not. But I've never thought that I wasn't going to ride a bike again. I think that's remarkable. After filming, one of the camera guys said 'I bet you didn't think you'd ride again', and my reaction was: 'I'd never thought that for a second with all the support of my friends and family around me'.

As a family we've managed it with incredible spirit and I've never felt lonely. I'd be nowhere without them - especially my wife Lisa and son Alfie; as a little trio we're dealing with life day to day and I'm incredibly proud of how we've done that. I know that's something that people don't see but it's through their support that I get to do anything at all. Even something as 'normal' as going to the office at the Global Mountain Bike Network where I work. That is amazing. I've always felt like I've had that support and energy from my close family and friends: I've been able to really move on and be able to look at things like riding mountain bikes again as goals to aim for - and feel like I can actually reach them.

When I first came home from hospital and I couldn't go up the stairs in my house - as we didn't have a stairlift - so I was set up in the living room for three months. We had our double bed downstairs and had this weird existence where it felt like we were in a bedsit. My son Alfie was loving it though, as he had the entire upstairs all to himself! I remember thinking at that time: 'I could fold down into this situation.' I didn't want that but it took an incredible effort for me and Lisa - it was Lisa's energy for a lot of it - to say 'We've got to keep trying. We've got to keep looking forward so let's get that stairlift, let's get the bathroom adapted, let's keep trying…' So that we could keep moving forward.

I've been around people since my accident who have had really horrible things happen to them and there is a belief that you should 'Never give up man - there are no excuses. You can do that.' Now I'm not in as bad a situation as some people who have terrible injuries but I am in a worse one than others, and it's all a relative. I do what I do because I can. I'm not doing anything that's not normal for you: I'm literally doing what I can do. And there are things I can't do but there are also things I couldn't do even before my injury. I can't do the roll-back trick that Danny MacAskill does in the Road Bike Party 2 film and I could never do it. There are some things you can't do but the only way to find out is to try: I believe in 'try'. I'm willing to fail, but I might find out that 'never' is the answer… But I'll always try.

Continue to page 2 to see the rest of this inspiring story »

A few tail whips were had.

A few tail whips were had (click to enlarge).​

Lisa helped me when I was trying to put a hashtag with a picture of me swimming. I'd managed to get swimming in June - so before July - and my #trybeforejuly challenge started from there… and we kept going. It's now something that motivates me to make the most of each year, and the year starts for me around Christmas when I think, 'What am I going to do this year?' I knew that before July this year I was going to ride mountain bikes again. I haven't done lots of sports this year but I've done a damn good mountain bike comeback and I'm proud of it.

The stuff I really want to do, I really, really want to do them. If there's something I don't want to do then I'm really terrible: I just can't motivate myself - but I've always been like that. If I want to do something then I have 100% energy to do it and I'll do everything to do it that needs to be done. But if someone said to me, 'Do you want to ride the hill climb at Goodwood Festival Speed on a motorbike?' and I didn't want to do it then I'd find it impossible to get motivated. Yet if I feel passion in myself to do it, then I'm like, 'It's happening!' It's the way I am: I'm all or nothing.

I've tried other sports like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair racing, and hand biking - and they're all cool. But when I first went swimming, to begin with it was daunting and scary - because it's hard just to get in the pool, let alone to actually swim. And when you do get into a 50m pool for the first time you realise what an incredibly long way that looks. That was the first thing that made me feel pretty vulnerable so the other sports didn't feel like such a big deal in comparison. But doing it and succeeding made me know that 'I'm going to get better and do stuff.'

Kayaking was the hardest thing I've tried: I simply can't do it. But I really want to do it. Since last year, when I capsized and fell out every single time, I've gone for a trial with the head of the GB kayaking team to test out a different kayak - and it was better but the chair still wasn't quite right. Somehow, though, they want me to paddle in the kayak world championships next year. They've selected me for the GB team! I wonder how bad is their team if they want me to do it?! But I want to ride mountain bikes and that's my biggest thing: I just want to ride mountain bikes. That's what I do - I don't want another sport. I just want to ride mountain bikes as it's what I'm good at. I know what I am - and I ride bikes and that's it.
A special Nicolai bike was used.

A special Nicolai bike was used (click to enlarge).​

Getting back on the mountain bike felt utterly wild again, and I felt that similar thing to swimming: I felt vulnerable and there's no way I could do it without other people helping me. In total, it's taken over a year to get back on the bike at the top of that downhill trail at Antur Stiniog (https://www.anturstiniog.com/), Snowdonia, UK, and have a day out riding mountain bikes with friends like Chris [Akrigg], Danny [MacAskill], and Blake [Samson]. It's been a really long time and it's been really technically difficult, too. But in the end, the solution was so simple and so obvious but there's been so much effort to get us to that end solution.

Chris [Porter] at Mojo Suspension who has been amazing - he and his right-hand man Paul Shepherd created this bike - and I remember having this conversation with him: 'I wonder if I could build a bike that's a bit lower to the ground, had this seat I could use, and how I could have outrigger wheels to help me go round corners.' And that's where a lot of conversation about bikes have been. But then in February last year I was set in my garden looking at my old Orange 5 full suspension mountain bike and thinking, 'I just want to ride that: I don't want to have wheels on the side.' Then I went indoors and switched on the TV and the Sochi Olympics sit ski event was on, and then I could feel the idea in my mind and I thought: 'That's it! They're sitting on seat on a ski. Put that seat on my bike - and that's it.' I rang Chris and I said, 'We don't need to do anything,' and he was like: 'I don't suppose we do.' And then it was simple.

Being able to mountain bike again feels like I've got something back that a higher power took away. I feel like I've cheated the game and that feels… triumphant. As far as I know, I'm the first person in my condition to go mountain biking on two wheels. And I can hardly believe that but I'm really looking forward to seeing how people pick up on it as it truly does feel like mountain biking: you're leaning into the corners, flipping the bike from one side to the other, moving the bike around beneath you, and not all upright like you can be when using three- or four-wheelers. To me, they're like cars and it's just not the same exhilarating feeling.

All smiles at the bottom of the hill

All smiles at the bottom of the hill (click to enlarge).​

Riding a mountain bike again was definitely been the biggest thing I've ever tried to do but then I just look at that video and see Blake, Danny and Chris around me, and I think 'What have I got to worry about?' A lot of riding is about being out with your mates - the mid-ride and post-ride banter where you talk about that section of trail, going faster, almost riding into each other, and all that is so important. As soon as they've pushed me off at the top of the summit, I was no longer the guy in a wheelchair: we were four mountain bikers riding together and we were having so much fun; I was having the best time I've ever had on a bike. Genuinely. Getting riding again was the best thing ever - it was incredible. And they seemed high on it too. It was really emotional and euphoric all day.

I'm really looking forward to see what the reaction is from other people who are in a similar situation to me as now they can go mountain biking - proper mountain biking on a proper mountain bike. Who knows, someone else might try and do it now. That would be great.

So what's next? Well, I want to ride more bikes: I want to go mountain biking with my friends, I want to make more videos, I want to come into the office as a guy who rides bikes and not the guy in the wheelchair - because I was jealous: it was hard to watch everyone riding off home but I feel like I'm back in the gang again. I'm going to enjoy it. I feel like when I'm talking about bike riding that's it something I do now. Before I got this mountain bike working I could talk to people about going riding - but it was about them going riding. I didn't feel like at the end of the conversation they could ask, 'What about you?' But now they can and my answer is, 'I might be riding next weekend'. I've got some tremendously silly plans in my head and I don't know if we'll get to that, but that doesn't matter as much as having a conversation about biking and being part it - really part of it - again.

Bike Check: Martyn's Nicolai Ion 27+

Martyn's bike was put together by the guys at Mojo Suspension (www.mojo.co.uk) It's a Mojo Nicolai Geometron, a collaboration that is producing bespoke custom frames to order. The major custom modification to allow Martyn to ride it was the use of a Tessier (www.dualski.com) sit ski chair that was adapted to fix to a standard mountain bike seatpost in place of a regular saddle. Martyn was strapped into the chair and his feet - literally - taped to the pedals.

Bike

Nicolai Ion full suspension mountain bike with 27+ wheels and tyres.
www.nicolai.net

Suspension

FOX 40 downhill suspension forks and a FOX X2 rear shock.
www.ridefox.com

Components

The bike was decked out in anodised blue Hope components - including cranks that were adjusted to both be forward-facing so that Martyn's feet could be taped to the pedals.
www.hopetech.com

About Martyn Ashton

Martyn Ashton started motorcycle trials at the age of 11, reaching a high standard by the age of 18 and riding in national competitions. At this age he then ventured into push bike trials with immediate success seeing him selected for the Great Britain squad to compete at the World Championships. In 1993, the following year, Martyn won the British Bike Trial Championship and continued to dominate the British competition scene for the next 10 years.

1995 was a big year for Martyn. He joined the all-conquering Volvo-Cannondale Mountain Bike Race Team and won a World Bike Trial Championship. He then spent the next seven years riding on the Volvo-Cannondale squad with his focus gradually moving more and more to live shows and media coverage.

In 2002 Martyn started riding for Animal Clothing and also created his own bicycle brand 'Ashton Bikes'; Martyn's designs were strikingly different and influenced trials bike design for many years to come.

During his career with Animal, which continues to the present day, Martyn has taken his live shows from a one-man demonstration to an annual national tour (https://actionsportstour.animal.co.uk) with action from some of the best extreme sports athletes in the country.

One of Martyn's strengths has always been producing great riding footage for videos. This talent was evident in his early career in VHS hits such as the Trainspotting-inspired Chain Spotting, Tricks and Stunts and, more recently, with the huge YouTube hit Road Bike Party which has received more than 11.5 million views to date.