“You’ll Wear One and Like It”

Riders who wear a Leatt Brace on a daily/weekly basis say that they can’t imagine riding without one, and that they feel absolutely naked without it. Riders who roll out of the pits wearing one for the first time may get a tinge of “I’ll never get used to this,” but the truth is, by the mains of that day, they’re already used to it.

Tracks are getting more and more extreme, and we’re seeing protective neck braces on riders from 6 to 60.

That’s because they work. We remember Nic Long’s wreck at the Disney Cup back in 2009. He was emphatic in saying that his Leatt definitely made a difference in protecting him from more serious injury (the paint of his helmet was so solidly ground into the dirt on the frontside of the jump, it could not be removed).

Mike Day has been using one for years as well, and Leatt has released a Mike Day signature model.

Here’s what the J&R site has to say about it:

DBX Comp Mike Day Signature Edition is the bicycle brace with premium fit thanks to its low profile and adjustable front and rear tables. Fiberglass reinforced polyamide construction and low profile Biofoam padding unites premium safety with great looks! Color: Mike Day Blue/Grey.

• World famous BMX Racer, Mike Day’s Signature DBX Comp brace in his signature Mike Day Blue.
• Features Mike’s autograph on the bottom front plate
• Mike Day’s race number ‘365’ is displayed on the thoracic strut

Prices have come down considerably on Leatt Braces–The Mday365 brace is retailing for $395 at J&R…as we recall, the starting price used to be in the 600s.

Neck injuries in BMX Racing are more avoidable than ever before, now that Leatt has made the braces more approachable in price.

If you’re going to need a neck brace, would you rather it were issued by the Emergency Room, or in the Mike Day Blue of the Leatt?

Click here for more info, including sizing.

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Mike Day Rides into Roseville

Maybe not in the way he’s used to doing so, but he’s there. The GT superstar and US Olympian is still sidelined, recovering from back surgery earlier this month. But with one of the premier races of the year happening this weekend in Roseville, CA, Mike was not sitting on his La-Z-Boy. He is out & about, hangin in the GT pit. Everyone BMXNEWS talked to say that ol 365 is starting to get that spring back in his step (though maybe a little slower these days). Mike says that, even though he hasn’t even started physical therapy yet, his back feels better today than it did before the surgery. A good sign, indeed.

When asked what his plan was for a return to the starting hill, Mike says he is hoping to be mixing it up with all the familiar faces, come Reno 2011 in January. PT will start in July, and all signs point to him being able to ride his bike again, gingerly, though it may be at first, by September.

But the summer is, by no means, a blow-off for him. He will be making the rounds to GT dealers and select ABA races on the summer schedule, meeting the fans, and being the all-around goodwill ambassador for BMX Racing that we know him to be.

BMXNEWS wishes Mike a speedy recovery and knows he will be “BACK” stronger than ever soon enough.

Thanks to Shannon Gillette at ABA for the photo and contributing to this report

Interview: Mike Day’s Back

We have not seen nor heard from Mike Day since the ABA Grands in November. Well, not exactly true. We have seen some twitter updates giving us a peek into what is happening with him. Car stereos being ripped from their enclosures and, most recently, a Vimeo link to a quick-cut of some footage that video impresario Clay Porter shot with Mike in SoCal recently (which is way cool, by the way). We knew he was suffering debilitating back pain, and was undergoing rigorous physical therapy for it. But, aside from that, not so much until now. So, leading up to this weekend’s ABA Winternationals, where Mike will, indeed, be back, we sat down with him for our weekly Announcers Tower Podcast.

Mike is admittedly a little over-anxious to get back on his bike. He is here in Phoenix, and was practicing in Friday’s Pro Practice…but any kind of customary results are very much up in the air. In the interview, Mike also talks about his London 2012 ambitions, his preference for Twitter over Facebook, and his advice for first-time Medalists bringing home hardware from Vancouver.

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