Cecile Ravanel Seriously Injured During Training

 Heal fast Cecile!

 She is extremely lucky she didn't broke her C4 of her spinal cord injury other wise it was game over for her,I wish her a speedy recovery.

 She was treated with Nice surgeons in Nice hospital and now she has a Nice corset (:
Everything will be fine for sure. Heal up, Ravanel.

 I agree, especially when you consider what other athletes receive. Its a joke.

 Whos going to pay them exactly?

 @Neale1978: To be fair what do those other athletes generate in revenue?
It's all great too say lets pay everyone a shit ton of money, but not realistic is it?

 @owlie: Bernie Sanders. Duh.

 @owlie: Exactly this. When people stop bitching about bike prices, athletes can get paid more.

Then there is the whole race promoter side of it that doesn't push the gravity side of the sport, and thus has low sponsor payout to riders. If UCI pushed for these sports to be more mainstream like they do road racing, you'd start to see pay closer to that of road racing.

 @TheOriginalTwoTone: What, football players? Jeez.

 At least she is french, so she won't spend the rest of her life paying off bills because she was unlucky.

 @skycripp: comment win.

 @TheOriginalTwoTone: teams, sponsors, event organisers? With bikes costing £2000 -£5000+ very little seems to filter down to the athletes compared to other sports. And the athletes are the main vehicle for marketing.

 As soon as we as fans start paying $100 for an athlete jersey, as soon as we all start paying $100-$1000 or more to spectate any EWS or World Cup DH race, as soon as mainstream companies start paying $500k or so for a 30 second commercial during an EWS/WCDH broadcast, as soon as there are 100k fans in a stadium to watch events...etc.

Are our favorite gravity athletes underpaid when compared to the risk taken vs. say roadbike racers? For sure. That said, the reality doesn't support the wish for baller money for all.

 @owlie: Mexico obviously ????

 @owlie: cause bike companies dont make money?

 Unfortunately pay is not based on physical risks taken. Pay is determined by a consensual agreement primarily based on the value you bring to your employer. Every pro athlete knows the risks vs the rewards when they entered the sport and they've accepted them. It'd be nice for pro riders to get paid like footballers or hockey players but the market of people that watch or follow pro mtb is very small. However, I don't think CR's pay would be too far off a top player in the CWHL anyways.

 All professional sports are entertainment, pure and simple, and in the entertainment business your salary is based on the level of revenue that you bring in. As others have stated, this isn’t a sport that generates a huge amount of advertising revenue, has a meager amount of mainstream support, no live TV coverage, and limited spectator availability. How are you going to get people outside of our sport into something they can’t even watch live unless they’re actually there? It’s all relative. This is a niche sport, it would have to go mainstream in a major way, over many years, for these guys to be making a salary anywhere close to what the Protour guys (who have several big mainstream sponsors each btw) get. I’ve got imagine very few of these athletes don’t have a day job or a plan B for when their racing careers are over. Bruni and Courdurier are still in college working to get degrees, which I think is the wise move. This is a sport you do for the love, not the money, and most of the athletes state the same in their interviews.

 @FCX250: Or Bernie could just sell his multiple houses and do it?

 @Naturel: in the US, having health insurance and being stuck with insurmountable medical expenses are not mutually exclusive.

 @skycripp: LOL!!!

 In other sports it's not the industry that provides the mega bucks. Look at football and it tv rights and big companies that pay. Look at road teams, it's very rare that the bike manufacturers are title sponsors and are often way down the list. For mtb riders to get paid more it's attracting these companies that will allow increased salaries

 a UCI downhill or xc World Cup winner gets something like $4000 and for winning a world champ $5000. World cups had audiences of 8 million on standard tv in 104 countries, and 2.5 million live on red bull and 3.3 million on catch up. www.velirium.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/UCI-MTB-Media-Guide-2018.pdf

I accept EWS is a little different, but I bet it sells more bikes than downhill. I’m sure there’s a lot of money swilling around in the bike industry. Maybe the athletes should get better organised in their demands, given a bike costs between $2000 and $5000+

As a contrasting example the darts world champion gets over half a million $ in prize money.

 And she's both kinds of champion, bummed to read this.

 There was a different discussion regarding the Rampage competition not that long ago. Should athletes be paid more, are they being pushed by sponsors and all that. I recall the outcome was that athletes will compete regardless. They do it for the love of it. So yeah obviously that does effectively make it the most efficient type of marketing if you will. Add to that their input for their R&D, athletes are quite simply essential for these high end brands. But it is also high risk. I'm sure these sponsors will keep supporting her through her recovery. Also obviously because dropping her now would be the worst thing they could do also from a marketing point of view. And for all the stick a sponsor like Red Bull (not her sponsor) gets, they actually do a whole lot to help injured athletes with their recovery. The Athertons for instance definitely needed them throughout their career and I'm glad they weren't on Monster or Rockstar. Not sure how her support is but I believe support/sponsorship shouldn't be just about the money/components/logistics etc. They need to stand by their athletes when things go bad. Support them through their recovery and help them back towards racing or, if that is no longer possible, to a normal life. And I hope that us showing our appreciation towards those companies that do will inspire other (or just all) sponsors and teams to do that too. And again, I sure think that sponsors actually do this. Red Bull obviously, with their doctors and facilities. And Santa Cruz always stood by Johnny Waddell even though he'd never compete in FR or DH again.

 Wish I could +1 this more than once!

 @bman33: exactly! Think about how riled up commentors would be if it was announced that Red Bull was going to start showing three minutes of commercials after every few riders and the venues were going to charge $100 per person to watch the races.

 @Neale1978: In a word...Fukbore #whatawaste

 @owlie: Nothing to do with neither Trump nor socialism but rather bashing the poor excuse for healthcare US citizens have, probably one of the worst healthcare systems in the industrialized world.

And, I agree that it is unnecessary to degrade every comment thread about someone getting hurt with this, but it still happens.

 @lowgear: Sorry but I don't quite see how US politics is being dragged into all this. Cecile is French. The US is pretty irrelevant in this context.

 @Naturel: because you live in Canada!

 @Neale1978: media presence of top sports stars in other sports is immense and followers they can reach in the tens of millions, sadly for mtb maybe 50k > 250k for big names and reactions to posts far far less.
Just numbers but them numbers make brands decide what they wish to pay you

 Pro mtb is a lifestyle and most pros are stoked to do what they are doing. Salaries have improved in the last few years by the sound of things & they get free bikes which some people work all year for with ‘regular jobs’ anyway.

 @bman33: i'd guess road bike racing is far more dangerous than any kind of gravity racing. those guys are crazy doing the speeds they do on grand tour descents.

 @FCX250: taxation is theft

 Without a PA or union it's hard for the pro/am and pro athletes in a niche sport to get the best in winnings, salary, benefits and more importantly health/accident insurance.

 @Neale1978: its true and I agree.. But in the realm of sports.. This is niche... It will never pay that much..Unfortunately. You got to to this for the love of it.

 @bman33: Exactly.. This sport will never draw that kind of fan base I don't believe. I know tons of riders that are really good but even they couldn't name 6 or 7 enduro pros if asked... They just want to ride bikes... Not spectate.

 @FCX250: That's pure BS. The only people getting less tax refunds are those that got less taken out of their paychecks in the first place. You know, like I'd rather have it now than when the govt decides to give it back to me.

 @Ttimer: I'd say she is very lucky and I know her pain. I broke C2 and had C4-6 fused. Wish her nothing but the best.

 I know how it works, and yeah, its outrageous.

 @FCX250: the 550 billionaires in the US are collectively worth $2.5 trillion. If we confiscated 100% of their money we would have enough funds to run the federal government for less than 8 months....... maybe the problem isn't individuals creating wealth and jobs in the free market, maybe the problem is how much the government wastes on bloated bureaucracy

 There is only one way that riders will ever get paid more: Rider’s union. This needs to occur regardless of the revenue stream of the sport. The overall pot certainly figures into it. However Yogi Berra had to have a winter job until the MLB players had decent organization for themselves. In the early 20th century the Chicago White Sox called themselves the black Sox because the team owner refused to pay to have their uniforms laundered. It’s the same history in every major sport. And no it doesn’t matter how much we’re willing to pay for our bikes or how mainstream it is. People are making money in the bike industry and these athletes are the ones helping to generate that revenue stream. Both in brand recognition and influencing the progression of bike design. If the riders had to get paid more believe me the bike industry/media marketers would kick into high gear. Making our sport more mainstream involves little more than savvy marketing. Spec, Trek, SRAM, Shimano, Redbull et. all can pull it together to figure out how to pay the riders. As long as they’re all “lone wolf” negotiators there’s no hope of it getting better. ORGANIZE!! These amazing incredible badass athletes deserve better. Heal up Cecile. We’re all with you.

 @FCX250: and if you took the 40 billionaires in Canada and stole all their money too you'd have around 150 billion... only enough to fund the Canadian government for 6 months

 @lowgear: Tell me more about healthcare in China and Switzerland!! Sounds amazing. Doctors here drive porsches. Because theyre good at what they do.. And I can go see him (or her) if I want.

 @FCX250: What's your address? I want to send you a gift, for real. www.amazon.ca/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232

 @kookseverywhere: Well thank you, I'm seeing you don't see what an hyperbole is and you can only grasp the surface., that is why people keep buying the same thing over and over again, shock/fork is the best example...

 @Naturel: not always. Mtb is considered an extreme sport and not covered by all insurance companies. Always tead the fine print.

 @owlie: Fox News or your confirmation bias source of choice is just a click away homie.

 @aldousfilcher: you too. the ratio is like 99:1 on biased outlets. but you think thats just Faux News

 Rafal Nadal wore a signature Richard Mille watch costing US$500K. 50 were produced. They sold out. His next watch was $690k. Again, all 50 sold. Next watch was $775k yadda yadda yadda...

That's the difference.

 @owlie: Only if you can afford it. It takes four months where I live to see any type of specialist. If I want it covered by my insurance, I have to visit a primary care doctor first, which can be two or more weeks. The American health care system is brutally flawed.

I work in a hospital, and see decisions made purely for the profit motive, and not in the best interests of the patient. I also see patients put off needed care because they cannot afford it.

 @fattyheadshok: "regardless of revenue stream" LOL You must have learned economics from the same place the stupid idiot Cortez did.

 @TheOriginalTwoTone: I mentioned nothing about “socialism”

 @owlie: I don’t get to choose. I’m go where my insurance provider says I can go.

 @Unrealityshow: one doctor, one hospital? you have a list to choose from. And you can get a new insurance provider. thats the difference.

 @bman33: Is DH racing actually more dangerous then road racing? I have heard of way more fatalities in road race events then DH events.

 In engineering, we call "risk" the product of "likelihood" and "consequence". The likelihood of going down in DH are bigger, the consequences in road racing are bigger. So technically the risk may be similar but that's only one part of the story. I prefer likelihood over consequence. That is, I'd rather go down often with little consequence than go down once and suffer life changing injury. And on a mountainbike you've got more control over what happens unlike in road racing where they ride really close together. But I've talked to road racers and often they're like "yeah, just don't crash then". It is a whole different mindset. I was actually afraid to learn to drive a car because it would be the first thing I'd ever learn where crashing just isn't really an option unlike everything else I've done until then. Whereas most others were like "well, just don't crash then" and in turn they just couldn't get their head around all the other stuff I was doing. So yeah, it really is a mental thing.

 @mtnbykr05: If you think there's a correlation between bike prices and how much riders are being paid, you're a moron. Every one of these corporations can afford to pay their sponsored riders much more than they are getting, especially Commencal.Ya'll should be ashamed.

 @vinay: I like your post man, especially the explanation of likelihood and consequence. I do mountain and road, and love both disciplines equally--although I ride an endurance road bike and not a race bike, use mountain shoes and clipless pedals, and use a hydration backpack and put all my essentials there, leaving the bike clean with nothing on it. I have front and tail lights blinking at all times when I ride because I want to be visible, therefore reducing the likelihood of being hit by a car because of my annoying visibility. I've crashed many times on my mountain bike, some of them hard. I know I'll crash again, but that's why I wear armor on those trails where the likelihood of a crash is increased. I can't even imagine crashing on my road bike. Other than my helmet, there's no other way to minimize the consequence of crashing on hard pavement.

 @SlodownU: not true. Most pro sports are still competed by people who want to be playing the sport and winning. People just find a lot of sport interesting to watch so companies like TV and advertising exploit that. The clubs themselves exploit it by ticket prices and replica kits etc.
Even the most cynical football supporter in Europe would still believe most players would still be playing if the money was less.

 @chainspotting: I do believe people who want a sports career do it for the love of it. But I do believe that career opportunities influence their choice. Whether the sport has an olympic status, whether it is possible to make a living. If you're a student, competing at high level in a sport with an olympic status will require the school where you're studying to be more flexible, go on training camps etc. If you're into some niche martial arts, no matter how good you are you'll be on your own. I'm from The Netherlands. I think ever since BMX went olympic, the IOC invested hugely into training and facilities and it definitely seems to have paid off. No way they would have got that if the sport didn't feature at the olympics. So athletes stay with BMX for longer instead of move on to XC, MX or road. Unfortunately now that there is no more UCI WC 4X the transition from BMX to gravity mountainbiking is gone, which is a shame. But yeah, it doesn't necessarily have to be a huge pay but performing at a high level is a full time job hence it has to pay as such. Not only that, it needs to cover the expenses of the sport, medical expenses and schooling or anything to be able to make a living when the racing career is over. A rider may pursue a sport that doesn't have this until their early twenties but after that they really need to make a good plan of how to make ends meet. And especially female athletes. If they at least want the option open to have children at some point in their lives, they've got to accept that their career may be even shorter.

@uphill-blues : Yeah I actually went the other way. I don't need the danger but I love the way my body reacts to it. At some point it got annoying to be out with injury or to break expensive components. Getting a BMX got the breaking of components sorted but it was the mountain unicycle (MUni) that solved both. With a speed not faster than you can run and an axle height of about 1ft (riding a 24x3" wheel), the consequences of crashing aren't higher than the consequences of stumbling when you run. Sure falling on a steep rocky descend can be more painful but then again so is when you'd fall there when running. But because if the way the nervous system is wired, the body is really overreacting to keep you upright. It is not about the consequences, the body just doesn't want to fall and does all it can to stay up. It gets you giggles. Is it risky? The consequences of going down are near zero, likelihood is near 100%. I'm perfectly fine with that. And again, I have met people who consider it dangerous because of the certainty of going down. Just to put different perceptions of risk in perspective. When I saw my kids first learn to walk or ride a bike (they never rode with stabilizers), I noticed that same sensation in their eyes. It is fun and it is good to light up that fire every now and then. I got a Gibbon slackline a while ago though I haven't yet put the time in to properly practice it. Same story though. Suspend it two or three foot over a loose sand and consequences are zero. But get onto it and the nervous system goes into overdrive.

tl;dr: Athletes may not necessarily go for the big money, but in their early twenties they need to find a way to make a sustainable living. If there is no perspective that their sport can provide that, they can either move on to a related discipline that does pay or become an amateur and get a different job to make ends meet. I personally am much more at ease with the likelihood of going down than with high consequences (like damage to body or equipment). This is the very reason I started mountain unicycling and slacklining. No consequences, near certainty of so called "unplanned dismounts (UPD)".

 @FCX250: Before spouting off something about which you know nothing, perhaps educate yourself. www.cnbc.com/2019/02/22/heres-why-your-tax-refund-could-be-smaller-than-last-year.html

 @mtnbykr05: there is money in Tennis and Road Cycling because of TV. Without TV visibility, there would not be any money in those sports.

 @Ttimer: she would be american, there would be already a crowdfunding to pay the medical bills...

 @vinay: I'm becoming very tolerant as I enter my twilight years, but mountain unicycling can just do one. FFS. What's next? Pogo sticks on ice? Water polo in porridge? Tennis with giant inflatable penises? I don't know why it makes me so angry, it just does.

 IF PAY DOES NOT EQUAL RISK FIND A JOB THAT WILL. BEING CRIPILLED AT AT 30 DUE TO INJURY WITH OUT A NEST EGG WILL NOT BE FUN.

 @BenPea: Sorry about that. Yeah I think it is already mainstream. I think Finn Illes does it too. Ryan Leech regularly rides trials with mountain unicycle legend Kris Holm who also raced his in the BC Bike Race (and did quite well). Sorry again... You're still mad?

 @vinay: livid

 @BmanInBigD: Well but all summed up there were no tax cuts for the lower incomes... just for the rich.

 @FCX250: because in the US, approx 75-80% of ALL income taxes paid are paid by the top 10% or so...and they already get I back via other deductions

 @FCX250: this thread is about someone being injured. You should wish them well instead of being a massive troll.

 @Naturel: nerd and troll, good job correcting people on internet definitions. you'll go far.

 i wonder, good question

 Good question. 2 years ago I fractured my C2, T9, T10 and burst my T12. I've got pins midway my back now and obviously ride with a neck brace. Sounds like she was lucky enough not to have any complications. A neck brace could have helped but each crash is so different. It could have saved my C2 but probably still broken the rest, even though I was wearing a back protector. To have that many fractures, it must have been a big smack on her head and she would have done damage regardless. On top of that, take into account that she's a massively experienced pro who knows how to fall. Yes, safety has advanced, but bikes are faster and tracks more technical with bigger features. There's really no single correct answer or way to avoid these things happening with the way the sport has progressed. Just hopes she makes a full recovery and gets to ride her bike again soon.

 It is a good question. I had a fractured C5, C6 (and a broken T12 in a different crash); from what I understand, usually these breaks are from a impact twist that exceeds the ROM (vs. crashing hard on rock in a direct impact). There is belief that some of the braces would provide some resiliency to these these injuries since they limit the ROM... I don't wear one but considered it... I may reconsider (esp. in moto).

Regardless, I hope she makes a full recovery - it sucks - that time in brace (plus possible surgery) is a real drag. Tricky business so you really want to be conservative in your recovery approach.

 In bike park I only ride with a neck brace. I hate that thing but better save than sorry. Saw a few ugly crashes last year. Always riders who only wear a half or full helmets. Most of them are better riders than me, but than again. It only needs one unlucky moment. And I just can't afford to be injured like this.

 @CarlMega: Yeah, nothing is for sure, but it seems neck braces are helping minimize injury, rather than prevent. And I'll definitely take a 2 year recovery over re-learning to walk, and re-learning to walk over wheelchair bound for life. This is regarding moto. I don't really push it on the bike.

 Yes.

 @twozerosix: or not...

 Shortest answer: the (reliable, valid, unbiased, scientific, peer reviewed) research doesn't yet exist.

That being said: in certain situations, under certain circumstances : maybe.

 @lalalalaura: I agree with you. But - in the bluntest what-if situation, and research aside - do you think Ms Ravenel wishes she'd been wearing one, at this very moment?

 "I can’t estimate my return on the bike yet".

Same as Kam Chancellor's or Cliff Avril's return to playing football for the Seahawks. Sucks to even contemplate but that's the truth. At least at anything like the former competitive level.

 Super glad you were on-site at the time of the event to record everyones thoughts and motivations and report back. Your efforts to avoid the posting of furious assumptions and sweeping generalizations are an example to all.

 Sure was super fan! Lots of eager folks with camera in-hand to capture that perfect IG moment. I helped set up the lighting and made sure the pic was taken with an iPhoneX in portrait mode. btw, I'm responding now while attending a funeral, I just took a selfie with the open casket and took video of the euology, I'll post it later on my vlog so be sure to follow me on twitter and hit the subscribe button.

 What does this have to do with US politics

 Unlucky to have an accident. Lucky the accident didn't cripple her permanently. Perfectly reasonable thing for her to say considering how severe the impact must have been.

 Until you get hurt at this degree, you'll never understand. When you f*ck with the bull, you get the horns. It's just to what degree the "horns" get you.