"In 2016 I was up in Dharamshala in the Indian Himalayas, which is the city where the Dalai Lama lives. There was a hike into the mountains, and I thought I’d take my bike up it. It was about 10km, up to a ridge at 3,000m.
"At the entrance gate, the park rangers said I couldn’t take my bike because it was too dangerous. But I was up for the challenge, and so I rode up to the ridge top, which was on a really gnarly hiking trail that turned out to be about 50/50 hike-a-bike.
"Coming down, I figured that the higher speed would mean I’d be able to ride most of it. There were steps and big rocks, and you needed to be going at a good lick to get over them. The problem was that there were a fair few hikers on the trail, and they got in my way. I had to slam on the brakes, my wheel got stuck and I went over the handlebars and off the side of the ridge. I tried to grab a rock to stop myself going over the edge, but I have a weak shoulder and it popped out of the joint. Next, I lost my grip and fell.
"It was about a 20ft drop to a switchback below, which was lucky – if that hadn’t been there, I’d have been straight off the edge of the mountain. It was a pretty bad fall, though – my shoulder was completely out and my bike had a wrecked wheel and bar. From there, it was a three-and-a-half-hour hike to the trailhead. Thankfully, two hikers helped me put my arm in a sling and then one took the bike for me.
It was a pretty bad fall, though – my shoulder was completely out and my bike had a wrecked wheel and bar.
“Just before we reached the park entrance, I said we needed to stop for a second, because the rangers were going to give me a lot of grief, having told me not to do this. One of the girls I was hiking down with started talking about the Dalai Lama, whom I’d met a week before. All of a sudden, my mind went calm, and I was in this really peaceful state. Then my shoulder popped straight back into the joint. I was instantly cured!
“We came around the corner and the rangers were waiting. “You have a broken arm!” they shouted. “No, nothing is wrong!” I replied. They had my bike all in bits; it was pretty funny. The crash itself was really scary, though, and a very close call. I really didn’t want to go to a hospital to get my shoulder put back in properly, and so I just got on with it.”
Illustration: Kevin February
About Cory Wallace
Cory Wallace, a native of Canada, boasts an impressive record as a four-time champion in the World Solo 24hr Championship, has become the Canadian National Marathon Champion multiple times, has set the current record for the Fastest Known Time (FKT) ascending Mt. Kilimanjaro, and consistently shatters endurance mountain biking records.
