Man Down

Legendary rider Alan Foster went down hard this past weekend and was seriously injured. Although he is expected to recover, his injuries are very severe and had they been just a bit worse, his future would be very grim. I know Alan and he is a good guy. In fact, there was a time where I was frequently asked if I were, in fact, a Foster Brother. Certainly, it wasn't my riding skill that incited the familiarity, but apparently, some sort of physical resemblance brought the inquiries on. My heart goes out to Alan and his family and I wish him a speedy and full recovery. I won't lie, his crash freaks me the fuck out. Alan is an "elder statesman" of BMX, Felt team manager, husband and father of two girls. He was riding at Sheep Hills, a spot synonymous with him--Alan Foster is a long time Sheep local, and from what I read, he cased and went straight to his face and buckled--just the way we are all afraid of crashing while riding trails.
The bottom line is that we all run the risk of getting taken out at any time. Case in point, John, a "local" at bike night (left in the pic in the pink shirt). John slid out on the ice in his car two weeks ago and hit a tree. He's lucky to be alive, and he knows it. He told me so tonight through a wired-shut broken jaw. Live Life every day...