Say What?

Not sure how this happened but I will take it while it lasts.

Having your photo on Trek's Main Web Site is always cool!

If you want to see this picuture larger..... click here

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/trek_life/cycling_teams

The long road ahead!

Today I celebrate my fourth month since my crash.

Thanks to family and friends I am walking, talking and moving again.

I still have a long road ahead but I am more motivated than ever!

Sometimes the road is long and curvy with steep hills and tough climbs!

Other times the climb is majical with beauty all around me!

But today, after4th month anniversary of my crash, I feel a sense of calm

with an ability to move forward at a rate fast than ever before.

I know the rest of the road is tough but for the moment I feel I can get better.

I am Mad and always wanted a tree house!

I am upset!!!

I was airlifted to a hospital in June,

Parlized for 3 1/2 days,

Then kept in varioius hospital wards for my recovery for 6 weeks.

Still no news on when an how I can begin my recovery so,

Tomarra and I will do it on our own....the best way we know!!!

The colors of the mountains are beautiful!!!

We drive up to see the beauty every day!!!

Then on a magical note......

With all the beauty around us...we decided to build a Tree House!!!

We waited for the sun to set to map out our plan!!!

We found the perfect place to cut all our wood!!!

With all the wood in hand, we searched for the perfect tree and then

Voila....here is what we built to spend time in when we want to get away and not deal with anyone!!!

If you have the desire and are willing to work hard enough... all your dreams will come true.

For me... I am hoping to gain control of my arms and legs again that were paralized and to be able to hike uphill and ride a bike again.

The doctors say 2 years....I am going to try and cut it down to one... send me your prayers and I will do my best to answer all your best wishes.

More to come!!!

Reaching For The Stars!

While I am still in a lot of pain and cannot use my arms and legs well
I am getting inspiration from so many that I am trying my best
to get better every day. So now that I have touched the moon,

I am going to start reaching for the Stars!!!

As promissed on our wedding day, Tomarra has done an amazing job of taking care of me and has never complained about all the work, suffering and pain of her Lupus in my time of need. I am the luckiest man in the world!!!
Even Buddy the super dog has put on his workout clothes to give me inspirationl. Every day when I cannot get out of bed or when I need to take my naps during the day he comes and sleeps with me to make certain everything is going to be OK.
The weather has changed so I have thrown my braces and walkers away and drive up into the mountains every day dreaming of when I can feel strong enough to get on my bike and get fit again. The cold weather is coming on strong so time will tell how my body reacts.

I needed inspiration to get back on line!!!

I have been struggling for months now with my injury.

I thought my pain was too much to handle so I got depressed.

Then a friend asked me to attend a fund raising event for a fallen comrade or ours.

Clinton proudly gave his life to protect our "Freedom" in order for all of us to continue living in this beautiful country of ours. We must continue to remember that Freedom isn't Free!

My life and my sorrows suddenly changed when I attended this event and witnessed the people who loved and adored Clinton and his family. Now one of my new goals is to help with this fundraiser each year it is put on.

This was no ordinary fund raiser as cowboys and cowgirls from around the State of Colorado came to compete in all types of Rodeo events. It was a fun time for everyone that came.

Here I am sitting with Clinton's Mom who was so proud of her son.

In order to help keep Clinton's memory alive a scholarship fund has been established at our local school here in Collbran. Please help out by sending anything you can to:

The Clinton Ahlquist Memorial Fund

P.O. Box 456

Creede, CO 81130
Every Dollar helps and it goes to a GREAT cause.

Please do what you can do to help out even if it is $1, $5, $100 or even $1,000

Sorry I have been in a lot of pain!!!

Sorry I have not posted lately.

My days have been dificult and the same.

Lots 0f pain, lots of struggling, lots of doubt!

Every week I have to go to the hospital 2 or 3 times. Each time they make me fill out the same form. I would have thought they would have remembered me by now or at least got my ifnromationl.????

Then I am off to either a Cat Scan or an MRI.....

They are a little worried for some reason so I have to go back on Monday to get a full MRI on my head/brain. Maybe all the drooling, sluring, lack of memory and falling down is giving them the hint something is wrong. I just want an answer so I can get it on with the problem and show myself I can cure it????

I cannot take the pain anymore so I am hoping for an answer.

My hopes are high but my threads are running thin.

Too much pain and brain problems to make me feel perfect.

The one thing I do know is that Tomarra has been amazaing with me. Even when I fall down in the stores or can't speak to people properly.... she jumps in and sais what the deal it. Tomarra is the best

The Way it ought to be and the way it is!

This is they way a normal spine and disc look!

This is a photo of a normal brain!

This is how my spinal column, the 6 broken vertebrae and my brain look and feel!

This is how I want to feel!
My progress has taken several steps backwards and I am not quite certain why yet.

They say you often have to go backwards before going forwards but the pain, confusion and burden put on others is not something I would wish on anyone else.

Looks like my attempt to post yesterday didn't go too well.

I cannot wait till I have one day till I can walk, talk and function like normal again.

Thanks everyone for your continued support and help!!!

And thanks Tomarra for never giving up on me despite all the daily struggles you have to face with your Lupus.

It

I

There are Angels all around us!!!

The first 3 people to arrive at the scene in my crash in Crested Butte were Bill Mansfield, JerriLu Atkins and her son Sam Atkins. In life we are gifted with Angels who cirlce around us all the time and Angels that when given a chance drop everything to help those around them.

Bill (see above), JerriLu (seen below) and Sam (I am waiting for his photo) are the angels who helped save me in Crested Butte. There will never be a moment in time that I can thank them enough for what they did for me. If you ever run into Bill, JerriLu or Sam, just smile knowing these are some of the most special people you could ever meet and have been gifted with an inner calm that enables them to help others without concern for their efforts.

When I found out who helped me out in Crested Butte, I immediately emailed Sam back to Thank him and to find out what I could do to show my appreciation and kindness for what they did for me .

Here is the email I received from Sam letting me know what happened that day and how he felt!

Bruce,

I would like to start out by saying that your recovery is truly one of the most incredible and inspirational that I have been able to witness.

From the state you were in when we found you in the grass along the trail to being able to walk, talk and write is phenomenal and awe-inspiring.When we were in Crested Butte, I had dropped out my race and was standing on the side cheering on fellow racers with a group of family and friends.Among this group were my mom, JerriLu Atkins, and a close family friend, Bill Mansfield.

My mom is a practicing doctor and Bill is a trained firefighter. These two people are some of the most competent people I know in the area of emergency medicine. I feel that I do not deserve much credit for your rescue. That should go to my mom and Bill. There was also the race director or first-aid chief who was there to help you. I do not know this man's name, but he organized the rescue in a direct and timely manner.It was clear to us immediately that you were in bad shape. It was clear that you had crashed hard, and were in a huge amount of pain.

When we first got to you (almost immediately after you crashed) you were coherent enough to remember your name, where you were, and your wife's name. You told us what happened, and where it hurt. It was evident that with every passing moment, that you were going down. A couple minutes later, as you were being carried to the truck, you were wavering in and out of conciseness.It was only maybe 10 minutes after you crashed that there was a first- aid team there, with oxygen, a neck brace, and a backboard. You did not care for the oxygen mask on your face, and requested that it be removed. We strapped the neck brace on and loaded you on to the backboard.

From there you were taken down to the base, where the decision was made to fly you to Grand Junction.I did not know how you were until a few days ago when I ran across your site from a link on Nick Martin's blog. Honestly, the knowledge that you are ok is repayment more than enough.I would like to personally extend to you a wish of good health and a quick recovery.

Things are worse than everyone thought!!!

After 14 days miserable days in the hospital the patients who were well enough to go home went outside for a group photo then testing to see if we were fit to travel home.

Our graduating class was full of really cool folks with really tragic accidents. Since all us had massive head injuries (including myself) I cannot remember anyone names (most of the time my own) but the staff gave us a green light and we were ready to be transported home to our loved ones.
First they had to make certain I could walk on my own.... I made it a total of 50 feet which was the the length of my house + equal distance to any phone in the house no matter where I was in case I needed to call for an emergency.

Once approved, they loaded my on a transport bus and I gave them the thumbs up to take me home. While I was happy to leave the hospital I was also scared because with 6 months of therapy in front of me and no real knowledge of how bad my injuries were/are....I knew I was in for some tough months ahead.

I love being home... each day I spend 3o minutes on the computer to work my brain. I spend then go back to bed for 1 hour. I spend 1 hour doing crossword puzzles and memory games to work on my cognitive skills then back to bed for 1 hour. Then I get to go outside around the perimeter of the house in my wheel chair where I breathe the fresh air, get some sun, water the plants and see all the wild life around the area.

All along the way... my pal Buddy watches over me to make certain I don't do more tan i am supposed to. He is the best at letting me know when wild life or people are about to show up or as in the case today when I all down he goes and gets Tomarra to help me out.

Tomarra has been a godsend. Today, I could not take the pain and discomfort any longer and we packed our bags to head back to the hospital. Before leaving, Tomarra made certain I got all calmed down and put everything into perspective to the point my pain started to subside and I started to relax enough I could calm down and go to sleep.

When I woke up it was nighttime and with just Tomarra and Buddy by my side I was able to make the conscious decision to stay home another night and try to get a good night sleep. If Tuesday is just as bad as today you can count on me being back in the hospital before noon!!!

In the meantime, Thanks to EVERYONE who has been able to help me through this process including this most difficult and painful day.

So...let's all see what Tomarra has to offer?????

BUDDY'S PERFECT DAY!!!

While I was in the hospital my best friend "Buddy" had a magical day!

Once the sun came up Buddy woke up to a fresh cut of hay bales all over our property!Buddy quickly ran outside and was so excited he told all his friend to come over!

The cows made a huge dash for it cause fresh cut hay is like chocolate ice cream to them!!!

The local falcon that kills all the ground squirrels and rodents loved the fact that no hiding places were left for his little buddies.... he was so fat by the end of the day... he loves us now!!!

We have lots of deer and elk on the property but this bad boy with the amazing rack on his head always gets first dibs on any new grass...but he was a little upset his bed was cut short so he had to find a new place to sleep for the night!!!

To everyone surprise a local bear came out to see what all the comotion was about. Once he found out the grass was freshly cut and there was no place for the moles and mice to hide he said "Thanks Buddy... I was getting tired of the berries and fruit from the trees"

By the end of the day Buddy had a HUGE smile on his face... one that Tomarra captured on film and one that I will never forget. He was so happy to see all his friends on the property.

Thanks Buddy for taking care of mommy while I was in the hosptial and making sure the property was protected and in good shape for me to come home. You are in fact "a man's best friend"!!!

A GREAT DAY!!!

It has been 8 days since crashing in Crested Butte and having The Flight For Life Team take me to Saint Mary's Hospital in Grand Juntion, CO for my recovery!
Today was one of those special days. My best friend Buddy came to see me and he made sure to let me know everything was going to be OK!
I was even able to get out of my room and walk almost the entire way of the hallway without too many problems. I finally had complete control of my right leg so I was a happy as could be!!
Even my cognitive and motor skills are coming back. Today I was able to construct pvc pipes to match a drawing on the pad a nurse gave me. While it took a lot of time, I DID IT and I only had to stop 4-5 times to rest before I got it done. After I took it apart a 7 year old kid came in and did the same thing in 3 minutes.... that's OK though... it was so fun to be able to use my mind again.
Tomarra was with me the whole day and every time I looked at her she reminded me of when we got married and how beautiful she is.... I am so lucky to have Tomarra in my life.... She is and has been a dream come true during this entire recovery since my accidident.
Thank you honey... I am the luckiest man in the world!!!

LIFE IS JUST A DREAM!

It seems that life is just a constant dream for me these days!
After 7 days of drug induced sleep, I cannot distinquish between reality and fantasy!

I keep dreaming of my Dog Buddy wathcing over me!

That he is constantly calling me to let me know everything is going to be OK.

And that I hike with Buddy each morning to watch the sun rise over the moutains

I also keep dreaming of Tomarra. That she is with me by my side all the time as the Sun rises and as the sun sets and that she never stops thinking of me.
I keep dreaming Tomarra and I are getting married again and that she is looking more and more beautiful every day with everything she does....
I also keep dreaming of getting fit enough again to ride my bike on all the beautiful roads Colorado and the rest of this country has to offer!!!I also can't stop dreaming of going to the bathroom to get all these nasty drugs out of my body!
Then I realize all my thoughts are nothing but dreams and I am back in my bed fighting to get well enough again to start enjoying everything that life has to offer.

It's OK though. My family and friends have shown their true colors and given me the strength to rise out of bed one day soon to embrace the world like never before.


Thank you Tomarra, Teige, Buddy, Robin, Bart, Tracey, Peter and all my other family members and friends who make life a true joy no matter how difficult it is. I love you all and I will be back soon!!!

WHAT LIES AHEAD?

There are only a few words that can accurately express my thoughts at this moment in my life!

I love my wife and I love my daughter!

I love my family and my best friend Buddy!

I love all those around me that give me the strength and courage to move forward!

The real test has just begun since "There are no limits in life"

Altitude and heat will always win!

We headed out to Deer Valley, UT for round 5 of the Nationals.

Park City/Deer Valley is beautiful so we thought "what a great weekend of racing"???

We knew if was going to be war so our General Zack Vestal came prepared.

All the big boys were there... and the race started at mock speed in 95 degree heat.

To come in the top 10 took a heavy toll on everyone! Click on Jeff to see the pain.
I definately saw stars as I saw the stars of the sport zoom away from me at the start. It is all worth it though as every race makes me stronger and wiser (I think???).

The Devil was in Vail for The Teva Games!

Tomarra and I headed out to Vail this weekend

for The 6th Annual Teva Games.

Somehow I ended up with plate number 666 so Tomarra did a little artwork!

There were so many people there... it was such a great event.

The only problem was we had not yet adjusted to the altitude!

With the largest cash purse of the year for mtn. biking the competition was fast and furious and the course was held on the identical world cup course in vail from a few years ago... it was BITCH'N!

The rule at the games is simple... Dopers Suck and Cyto rules!!!

Despite some mechanical problems and lack of oxegen on the first lap... I had a great race, went toe to toe with some of the best riders in the world and got to participate in an event where the course and the crowds were the BEST. I also got to be around some of my heros in the sport like Ned Overend, Travis Brown and Tomarra Muhlfeld so I was as happy as can be. Thanks Teva for a great weekend!!!

Little Angels in Angel Fire!

Tomarra and I headed out to Angel Fire, New Mexico

for our first race outside of CA this year.

When Tomarra asked "Who wants to do the kids race?" 30 kids started screaming and raising their hands yelling "me, me, me, me"

Just like in the main event for the Pros... the kids get nervous before the start of each and every race!

Every one of the kids takes the race very seriously and some courses like the one at Angel Fire are very difficult!

These kids give it their ALL and have nothing left when they are finished!
Because they never give up or quit they are all winners.

After the race... one of the kids said "can you ride home with me so I can feel like a real pro". Tomarra said sure but first you have to be able to see what is in front of you!

Once the future Olympian could see the 2 pros made their way home.

There is no better gift than giving the gift of inspiration to all those who want it and are willing to work for it... Thanks all you little Angles.

Snow Drops Keep Falling On My Head!

Cannot seem to get away from the snow this week!
Every time we head up in the mountains the snow tracks us down!
So Tomarra and I stayed closer to home and ran into Elk
and Deer
and of course cows who now have Lance ear braclets
By the end of the day I am exhausted and never seem to make it to bed!

Warmer Days!

Buddy and I did some cross training today

playing hide and seek in the tall grass.

He is smiling knowing I just walked past him.

He is such a cool dog!!!

Be Prepared!

Yesterday Tomarra and I rode up the mountain behind our house.
We thought it would be cool to climb above tree line

where the snow was still covering 30% of the moutain.

Just seconds after I took this shot it started to rain, sleet and snow.

We hid under trees for 1 1/2 hours freezing to death.

Eventually we made it down and started to thaw out in the valley.
Our bikes and clothing were shot.
At least the mud and dirt kept my legs a little warm.
Tomarra didn't care.

She was so happy and excited she wanted to do it all over again.

From now on we are going to ride with a back pack filled with extra socks, booties, full lenght leg warms, extra gloves, a rain jacket, hats, food, an axe to cut wood, matches and flints at the very least.

Western Exposures Tours

For my 50th birthday, our new friends in Collbran took me and Tomarra
on an amazing jeep ride far up into the mountains!

The views were amazing as we ventured into the forest.

We went high up into the hills over rocks and trees through rivers and streams.
We even stumbled across a tree that had our inititals on it :)
Colby's kids are excellent hunters and fisherman and when they found a worm, they put it on the end of a shoe lace, tied it to a long tree limb and caught us some fish to eat!

Then Colby's wife Cindy started a fire the old fashion way with just a rock and some flint!
Then we all sat down to eat. I have to tell you, there is nothing like a warm cooked meal at 10,000 feet in the middle of the Aspen trees with a stream running beneath your feet miles away from anyone and everything. If you want to experience one of the most enjoyable times of your life, contact Colby at Muledeercolby@hotmail.com you will not regret it.

Friendly people, Blue Skies and Lots of Sunshine!

After 5 long days in the saddle, I finally made it to our new home in Collbran!
Unfortunately, the winter weather was brutal and our place needed a lot of work!
Buddy however was in heaven with lots of new friends!
Every one of our neighbors has lots of friends for Buddy to play with!
Tomarra immediately went out and traded one of her old bikes for a lawn tractor she saw!Then I had to get to work on the lawn and the house!
Voila... with a little hard work and the right tools we turned our new home into a magical place!!!

I Got Punked!!!

The weather in California was simply getting too hot.

With no sign of rain in the forecast and with fires all around us

Tomarra knew it was time to leave but I still wanted to stay!

The next day the local sherrifs department showed up stating that if I did not leave town and head to Colorado immediately I would be arrested. I agreed and they let me go.
Tomarra was overjoyed. She knew within a few short days we would be in Colorado!

So, I said one last goodbye to the ocean and the beautiful CA views.

Then I told Tomarra I would agree to go if she let me ride all the way there.

So, within a week we should be at our new home in Colorado!!!

Something Special at Firestone

This past weekend Tomarra and I headed out to the Firestone
for round 2 of the Norba National Mountain Bike Championships.
While Tomarra was too ill to compete,

my goal was to go there and rip it up.

How things can change in just a few short moments.

At Firestone we were blessed with meeting Ron and Theresa Costia

along with their 2 beautiful children Ronnie and Dillon.

Their eldest son Ronnie quickly became my newest best friend.

Ronnie ran into a lot of medical problems after he was born.

But, despite the fact that Ronnie can't talk or move his arms and legs he was always smiling.

Ronnie quickly reminded me to enjoy everything around us in life.

And, his brother Dillon was so cool and also so understanding of life.

His mother and father were also the BEST parents I have ever seen.

The guys at Trek kept asking "Where's Bruce"? Tomarra let them know of a new friend I made and how special he was. Ross Schnell grabbed a new Soccor Jersey that none of the Team Members had yet and decided to ride over to my camp site and give it to Ronnie.

Ross and Ronnie immediately bonded as Ross gave Ronnie the first new Trek Team Soccor Shirt to wear. The smile on his face said it all. He was so thrilled (as was Tomarra and me).

I have never met a child so happy in my life. Ronnie taught me to enjoy each and every moment of the day and to value all the little things life has to offer.

This weekend at Firestone was one of the most rewarding weekends I have ever had.

The racing was no longer important as the gift of life shinned brightly through!!!

Thanks Ronnie and Dillon you are my new heroes

Sea Otter Rocked!

The 2007 Sea Otter classci rocked!

All the mountain bike and road events you can ever imagine.

A new feature this year was and out of this world ramp jump with 3 jumps!

I held my breadth each time one of these guys took off!

Does this guy make it?

I will let you decide since I could not show the next photo???

Can you hear me now?

The folks at JBL keep rolling out the coolest audio products in the World!

Now we find our favorite tunes online, download them to ourfavorite mobile device which of course ends up in our car for the ultimate driving experience.

Check out www.jbl.com for all the great audio products they carry.

A new friend for Buddy!

Our dog Buddy wanted a new friend to play with...
So, my daughter Teige set out on a journey to find one!

Teige happened upon 3 lions that had just finished eating a wild pig!

Only one of the Lion's was interested so Teige started rubbing his belly.

Teige had to make certain she could feed the new bad boy.

After a long day, Teige was able to hitch a ride home with some guy on an Elephant! How cool is that???

Spring Blossoms with Flowers (and champagne)!

Tomarra was feeling the effects of a recent "flare up"

so she decided to enter a shorter faster race at Nove

(The Super D at Nationals) and it paid off!!!

With her first National Victory of 2007 Tomarra was feeling GREAT!!!
Champagne and Flowers flowed (as well as all the smiles)!
It was a great day for Tomarra, Trek/VW and of course Me!!!

A Bright Future!

Two of the top kids warming up before their big race.

With two of the top pros by their side, these kids were pumped!

The start of the race was fast and furious with even more pros trying to compete!!

The crowds were HUGE knowing these kids are our future!!!
Some of the pros had a hard time keeping up!
But in the end it was the fastest kid in the group who won... I guess that is why he was wearing #1 !!!

19th Annual Keysville Classic!

Tomarra and I headed out to the 19th Annual Keysville Classic!

Keysville is one of the GREATEST mountain bike races still held!!

If you love single track, nice people and a fun time,

Keysville is a must for 2008 (http://www.ssfta.com)

Keysville is the way mountain bike racing used to be... lots of fun events, great food, and 32 miles of single track!

Tomarra and I camped out in our trusted Lance for 4 days and 3 nights. The Keysville Classic offers free camping and an amazing race course that is perfect for March Training and racing!!

Tomarra won the women's pro field... her 1st victory of 2007!

I was able to win the men's pro field after Tomarra convinced me to race on my hardtail for the 1st time this season. Thanks Tomarra, the 9.9 was a "rocket"!!!

The warm weather and the green grass is finally paying off.

I used the nice weather to start increasing my speed work.

Then ventured down to Southridge (Fontana, CA)

for a x-country to test my racing fitness.

The 1st climb and the 1st lap was FAST as the guys from Canada flew around the course!

The weather was hot and dusty but my increased training is staring to pay off. I was able to place 3rd in the pro race with teams from Canada and Colorado in the mix. It was a lot of fun.
Top 4 for the day were Cameron Brennerman (U.S.A. World Team Marathon member), me, Semi Pro phenom Manuel Prado and a Rocky Mountain Team Pro member from Canada (don't have name yet?).