In Disaster There is Opportunity - Martyn Ashton's TED Talk

Finding a Path Through Paralysis

Martyn explains the unbelievable challenge presented by a career ending injury, and how he used a unique approach to tackle it. "If I’m going to be paralyzed, then I may as well be good at it!"

His inspirational talk takes us through the antics of a man searching for a way to face the test of a lifetime, using the instinct of a competitor, plus the enjoyment and passion of a sportsman to not only discover new things but to ultimately find his way back to the sport he loves most, riding bikes.

Martyn has been a professional mountain biker since 1992 and in that time has won a World Championship and numerous British Titles. However he’s probably best known for his live stunt shows and his highly successful YouTube video series ‘Road Bike Party’ films in which he takes highly expensive (and fragile) carbon road bikes on an exhilarating journey of stunts, obstacles and vertigo inducing skill that the viewer could never expect.

However, in 2013 Martyn suffered a spinal cord injury whilst performing in a live stunt show. The accident seemingly ended his riding career, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life… but in his own words

"Who would have thought that my greatest days of riding were ahead of me?"

This talk is from TEDxBristol 2017: Dare To Disrupt. In a world of constant change and uncertainty, these are the ‘positive disruptors’ ripping up the rule book to challenge received wisdom, demand better, and transform seemingly insurmountable problems into break-through possibilities and new beginnings.

Credit: TED
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