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Patrick Godin -
a fallen comrade |
It seems like a lot of guys have been going down lately. Sure, we’ve all fallen, but I mean BIG falls. I talked about it a couple months ago in “Fireman’s Wives”, and ever since, they’ve been dropping like flies. Separated shoulders here, ruptured spleens there. I get a feeling freeriding is starting to find its limits…both for the body and the bike.
| One of these injuries, no matter how bad anyone else thinks they’ve had it, seems a prayer away from the worst possible scenario. The first time I met Patrick Godin he was riding a Monty modified trials bike on some rocks in Mont Tremblant. He was hopping on his back wheel from rock to rock with the aid of his SPDs and little else, so I took a minute to show him the pedal kick in my broken French and he replied with his broken English. The next day, we competed as the only two riders in the expert/pro category at that year’s Quebec provincial championships. |
 Patrick cleaning a line. |
Who won is inconsequential. The fact of the matter is that was the beginning of a friendship and rivalry that has gone unmatched ever since. So, imagine my surprise 10 years later when I read the following post on NSMB’s bulletin board:
“It is a truly sad day in Montreal. One of Quebec's
best riders sustained a major injury last night. We're sure that there are a
lot of people out there who heard about what happened and who are concerned
for Patrick's well being so I will post a quick summary of what happened and
what state Patrick is in. Patrick attempted the Bell Center double gap last
night. He came in a little too fast and landed well down the second flight where
he flatted his front wheel on landing. He tried to brake and regain control
of his bike but he flew off the second gap at high speed and off balance. He
fought for control of the bike and to stick the landing but he overshot the
stairs and flat-landed. His front wheel exploded on impact and he was sent flying
off of his bike and onto his face. He lay motionless on the ground until an
ambulance crew took him away to the hospital.
This morning we thought we had good news that Patrick had escaped serious injury,
but that prognosis has now turned out to be false. Patrick is in a coma with
head trauma, serious facial injuries, and a broken wrist.
We all hope for a speedy recovery for Patrick.”
It’s the type of accident that wakes you up form a dream state in spasms while your muscles try to catch you from crashing down to the subconscious pavement. It’s the type of thing that grinds time to a standstill and makes you just stand there in silence. No thinking, no talking…just a silence so profound that nothing in the world that can overpower it.
What I remember of Patrick (it’s been some time since I last saw him at a competition in Mont Ste. Anne in 1997) is that he lived with his mom just east of Montreal’s St. Laurent Blvd. He rode constantly and was just made of talent. He was the first guy in Quebec to start riding trials demos professionally and he pushed the Quebec scene further than anyone else I know.
So influential was he on the trials scene at the time that Devinci, early on in the history of their re-invention, worked closely with him on the design and prototyping of their PG-13 modified trials bike. (Those of you who are observant may notice that PG stands for Patrick Godin.)
In contrast to his bewitching skill on a bike, Patrick always seemed to be successful in spite of the cards life dealt him. He was one of those riders who I always thought should be the first to get sponsored. His skill and work ethic were unparalleled, yet he never seemed to have the means to buy the equipment he needed to truly flourish.
These humble beginnings were never evident in how he rode or carried himself however, and he could always be counted on for a laugh, an interesting story or a jaw-dropping line that nobody else had noticed. He’d make it look like it was supposed to happen…like the line was always there and we were just too numb to see it.
As I sit here typing this in the comfort of my basement suite with a slightly stiff, healing separated right shoulder, I can’t help but think of how lucky I am. Shoulders heal, and thankfully, I am still able to live a life I love thanks to the people around me, my dog, by bikes and the all too comforting idea that soft tissue heals.
Richard Belson and Patrick Godin back in the day.
Robbie, Mike, Darren, Karl and all the rest of you guys and gals who are on the mend this summer, I wish you a speedy recovery. But think about it…a month ago, I thought there could be nothing in the world worse than being off the bike for a few weeks. There comes a point, however, when one of our own goes down and we need to give him all the karma and power we can to make sure he gets through it all. It’s not like it’ll make our injuries heal slower.
We’ve all been given the opportunity to remember what life without wheels is like, so when we get back to it, we can appreciate it more.
As for Patrick, his condition has deteriorated and the doctors have upped his medication and his family has asked that nobody visit for a while to allow him to heal better. It’s not too much to ask, I figure, and it should give the rest of us a chance to stop and think about our lives, what’s truly important to us, and why we live life the way we do.
My shoulder is just good enough to ride today, so I think I’ll head out and get my bearings back aboard my stock bike and I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything but think of Patrick. He influenced my riding more than any other rider before or since, perhaps without even realizing it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of this is only written in the past tense because I can’t speak for the Patrick Godin who seems to have emerged from a trials riding past. He is neither out of the woods, nor out of the hospital yet. What I’m saying is perhaps if we all just went out and rode our favourite trail, hit our favorite four-pack or pulled off a mad-sick line that we’ve been eyeing for months, maybe some of that riding karma will help him out and get him out of about as grim a reality a rider and his family can face.
We’re all with you Pat.
Now, I wrote all that that quite some time ago and have spent my time living my life since with my mind drifting periodically to Pat and everything he and his loved ones have been dealing with. I was never really able to comprehend the severity of Patrick's situation until I logged onto the nsmb bulletin board this week and read a message written by his girlfriend. She spoke about how he has gotten out of his coma, but with diminished emotional capacity and a questionable prognosis for his cerebral and physical future, with over 2 years of rehab between now and potential recovery.
Patrick has a long road ahead…I guess we’ll have to ride a little
bit for him every time we’re out.
Bonne Chance, mon ami.
Along with Patrick we are all pulling for Johnny Waddell who was injured racing at Mont St. Anne in July. Best of luck to both riders.
