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Brad Freeman stays positive If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same then you are probably Brad Freeman. In the past twelve months the talented young Colwyn Bay KTM rider has enjoyed the highs and stuffed the lows that Enduro can throw up but he has stayed positive. A year ago the 2014 Under 20 European Enduro Champion had a WEC win under his belt and he was defending his 125 British Enduro Championship title at Lossiemouth when his season ended before it had begun with an ankle injury. After months of recuperation no one could have expected him to achieve much as he traveled to the opening round of the 2016 European Enduro Championship in Italy but Brad defied expectation by winning the event overall. It was a tremendous achievement but it came at a cost.
We returned home on a massive high and my shoulder began to feel somewhat normal again. I made a big decision to keep the whole thing very quiet and see out the busy months of March & April and re-evaluate the situation when we had more free time in the season. With no time for rest I headed to the first round of the British Sprint Championship where I placed joint 1st overall and the following weekend in France for round 2 of the Europeans. Winning day 1 overall and second on day 2 after some misfortune, I was beginning to be in more and more discomfort. However, rightly or wrongly I decided to wait a couple more weeks and hold out for round 2 of the British Sprint Championship in Wales. I was confident I could achieve a good result as long as my shoulder held up. What people don't know is that the weekend prior to the sprint I re-injured my shoulder again without falling off. Something moved inside and immediately didn't feel good. I had some physio sessions that week to try and compensate for the injury. It was too late at that point, and so decided to try and race. I did 2 tests, falling on each. The course was tricky enough however I simply couldn't hold on efficiently. On test 2 I dislocated my shoulder again without a fall, just attempting one of the log sections. I put it back in, finished the test and called it a day somewhat frustrated. The following week I saw a specialist and had an MRI scan to know exactly what was going on. And finally got some answers... A torn rotator cuff, AC joint and Fractured shoulder cup is the result of a freak accident. Maybe bad luck or just fate, but it's too late now and I've already accepted it. I get surgery on the 19th and then rehab it back to full strength. I'm a long way from giving up though, and apart from my physio, I might just be the only person thinking positively and confident I can get healthy for Latvia. And that's the goal. I have 10 weeks to turn this whole thing around and finish out the year the way I started it. Enjoying myself and riding well. After 2015 the last thing I expected for this year was to be under the knife again. But s**t happens and there's people in worse positions out there. I won't be 'out & about' much in the coming weeks but I will be back as soon and as healthy as possible. Thanks all sponsors, friends & family for your belief, this year ain't over yet! @colwynbayktm @ktm_uk Photos Bob Mullins and Digger Offroad Films
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Brad
says: "So basically, on day 1 of the European Enduro Championship in
Italy I dislocated my right shoulder on the last enduro test. I put it back
in and finished the test and the day 2nd overall. It was a complete miracle
I was able to even start day 2 let alone take the overall win and
championship lead.