A broken foot has made for a very unfortunate end to a tough season for reigning World Champion and Kona Les Gets Factory Team rider Fabien Barel. Due to the injury, Barel’s quest for a third straight world championship title is no longer a reality.
The injury occurred during a Downhill race at the Kona Groove Approved Levi Bike Park in Finland. Barel slipped out of one pedal and caught his foot between the pedal and the ground. Medical tests proved that Barel broke a small weight-bearing bone in his foot. While the bone is small, the seriousness of the injury is not.
The recovery requires that Barel not bear any weight on the foot for two months. If not allowed to heal correctly, the bone will die and the injury becomes even more acute and surgeries and bone graphs will be required. It will likely be at least three months before Barel will be able to get back on the bike.
Barel was of course extremely disappointed. “It’s been a very tough season mentally," he said. "I feel like I have been riding very well but have no paper to show for it.”
Team Manager Mark Peterson said, “At this level of the sport it is bound to happen sometime during their career, you just hope it’s not something that will end their career. Fabien will be back next year in Kona colors and I’m sure he’ll be on a mission to prove he remains one of the best riders in the world.”
