by: Rachel Gutish
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | 6:45 PM
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, as pretty much everyone can attest to right now. While things are slowly getting back to normal, and fortunately we are racing again, we still had one rider left in our original series of injured pros left to interview. Last up on the list is Trevor Bollinger. He finished fifth overall last year and appeared to be ready for another stellar season, until he tore his ACL at the first NEPG way back in early February. His recovery has been smooth so far, but he is still not sure if he will be able to race again this season.
GNCCRacing.com: For those of us who don’t know you very well, tell us about yourself.
Trevor Bollinger: My name is Trevor Bollinger. I’m from Morganton, North Carolina. I ride for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team.
It’s been a minute since we’ve done a Tuesday Toolbox interview with you – I think your last one was in 2014. Can you update us on what has happened in your life and career since then?
Yeah, it has been a while. The year I was interviewed was my rookie year in XC2. Long story short, I ended up winning the XC2 championship in 2016 and then moved up to XC1 the following year. I’ve been racing in XC1 ever since, and right now I’m recovering from ACL surgery.
Yeah, you did have a rough start to the season, getting injured so early on. What happened?
First off, my off-season went perfectly – I was feeling really good physically and on the bike. We went to round one of the NEPG series and I had a crash in test three. I hit a root and my front end washed out. When I fell, the bike landed on top of me and I felt my knee pop. I knew it wasn’t good because I could barely get back on the bike, but I finished out the day and still ended up fifth overall, which gave me some hope. The next few days I waited around, but it never really got better. Eventually I went and got checked out and found out I had torn my ACL and meniscus. Honestly, I was pretty devastated when I heard that news, given that I had already gone through three knee surgeries over the course of my career (two on the same knee). With that being said, I really wanted to find the right doctor, one who understood that I am a professional athlete. I went to five or so different ones over the next couple weeks, but didn’t feel comfortable with any of them. I finally met with Dr. Lavender at Marshall Orthopedics in West Virginia. I had surgery with him there and I’m still in the recovery process now.
How has your recovery progressed so far and what still needs to happen for you to get back on the bike?
Everything has been going very smoothly. The only thing that needs to happen is more time. I’m getting back into training, it’s just going to be a long process for me.
When do you anticipate being able to return to racing?
I have no expectations for anything in the short-term. All I can say is I will definitely be on the starting line for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna come 2021.
What were some of the things you did to keep busy during the quarantine and while you’re recovering?
Basically, I have been doing the same normal stuff I always do. I’m not a very outgoing person, so this quarantine stuff is pretty much my normal anyway (laughs)
Did your outlook on the season change at all due to the two-month break?
The break wasn’t long enough for me to recover enough to start racing, so it didn’t affect me much. Since there’s only one guy still racing who finished in the top five last year, I honestly haven’t been paying much attention to the racing scene. I’ve mostly been focused on rehab, training and running my motocross track.
Mentally, is there anything you’ve been doing to cope with your injury?
Like I said, I’ve just been focusing on myself, trying to get as strong as I can before I start back riding again. I mean, racing is my life – I have no girlfriend, no kids, this is it for me. So it’s hard for me to watch the races and not be there, so I’ve been avoiding it for my own sanity. I have started every race but one (Snowshoe 2019) sine I turned pro. This whole being home on the weekends is weird for me, but I’ll be back stronger than ever to win some races and a championship!
What advice on working out and training would you give someone who is currently limited by lack of equipment or places to ride.
When there’s a will there’s a way. The situation doesn’t matter – if you really want something you will figure out how to get it done.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that doesn’t involve racing or training.
Like I said, this whole racing thing is my life and I don’t do anything else. I guess I do own and operate a motocross track – Silver Creek MX. I really enjoy it being open and having people out there riding. That’s something interesting, but even that still involves dirtbikes (laughs)
Who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team for believing in me during my injury. This was a contract year for me, so it would have been very easy for them to just let me go, especially since I don’t know yet if I’ll be able to race at all this year – but they have been behind me 100%. I want to thank all our team sponsors that help us get to the races and provide us with the best products. I want to thank Scott, Travis and Live It Extreme for hooking me up with my bicycles. Lastly, I want to thank my trainer Jacob Fetty for everything he does.