Inspirational: A Paralyzed Martyn Ashton Rides Again in 'Back on Track' 13

​After sustaining a life changing injury in 2013, Martyn Ashton, mountain bike and Road Bike Party legend, is back on track. It was universally believed that Martyn would never again walk or ride a bike, but he had other ideas. He has overcome incredible odds and simply had to film it and share with us. Join him on an inspirational ride through the Snowdonia mountains with his friends Danny MacAskill, Chris Akrigg and Blake Samson.


Using a Mojo Nicolai Geometron, a near-standard mountain bike with the major modification of having a sit ski chair adapted to fit where the bike’s saddle usually lives, the four friends went for a bike ride like no other.


Martyn tells us about his experience: "Of course I have questioned if I’ll walk again, and I don’t know if I will or not. But with riding a mountain bike, for whatever reason, it was always ‘how are we going to do it’. Never riding a bike again? Well, that never came up," says Ashton.


"I’ve been riding bikes for so long that I think it defines my life. Riding is such a natural thing to me – it’s who I am. I’m not willing to let go of it despite the situation. All of us who ride bikes – whatever level it is – has the same feeling when they start riding: the exhilaration of riding. The freedom. For some of us that sticks and never goes away. And for me, it’s like that."


“Being able to mountain bike again feels like I’ve got something back that a higher power took away. I feel like I’ve cheated the game and that feels… triumphant."


"As soon as they’ve pushed me off at the top of the summit, I was no longer the guy in a wheelchair: we were four mountain bikers riding together and we were having so much fun; I was having the best time I’ve ever had on a bike. Genuinely."


Music: Coasts - A Rush Of Blood

Credit:

​GMBN // Robin Kitchin

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