Written by Fall in the Alps. The summer inferno has past giving way to more pleasant temps for bike riding. T shirts at 3300m. Everywhere you look there is a blaze of orange and red as the larches and grasses go off.
I should be in New Zealand skiing new lines but my L5 disc herniated onto the root of the sciatic nerve the day after I finished guiding this summer. No I wasn’t out shredding but simply walking on a forest trail. Biking is a major feature of my rehab as I try to overcome the partial muscle paralysis of my calf and glute – its kept me sane and frustrations at bay. It turns out the Aosta Valley holds some of the best trails Ive ridden in 25 years and my Bronson is now riding sweet with saint brakes – many of these descents are in the 1600 m category so things get very hot!
My unhappy spine!
Ross Hewitt Guiding 
Looks amazing Ross. Totally empathise with you regarding your back – my disc between L4 and L5 went splat about 6 years ago. Ended up having surgery, not something I’d recommend unless absolutely necessary. Still get a bit of pain now, but it doesn’t stop me Mountain Biking (on my Bronson, Zee brakes!).
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Hey James, good to hear from you and sorry to hear you’ve been through all that nerve pain and muscle paralysis. It sounds like you got to the end of the tunnel…yep trying to avoid surgery and starting to get calf and glute to work a bit. Left leg is still about 30% weaker. The bronson rocks eh!
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Well take it easy with the back, it will get better but it does take time.
Some great photos in this blog, the views are stunning. Loving the Bronson – only built mine up a few weeks ago, it definitely rocks. 🙂
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