INTERVIEW
CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR KAILUB RUSSELL
P68
"Uh oh."
Russell was given an anti-inflammatory to help
the pain but it also numbed the knee. He lost
almost seven minutes yet soldiered through the
third test. In the fourth he crashed on a steep hill
and his bike cartwheeled to the bottom. Hurting
and now over 30 minutes down, he returned to
the Team USA paddock. At 9:00 p.m. the fol-
lowing evening, Russell was flat on his back in
an MRI machine at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
hospital. The following afternoon, while his team-
mate Ryan Sipes was only one special test away
from becoming the first American to win the ISDE
individual overall, Kailub received the MRI results
from Dr. Bonhomme J. Prud'Homme: his ACL
was fully disrupted and his MCL had nicks in it.
There was bone bruising in his tibia, fibula and
femur and one of his two menisci was sprained.
Russell heard the diagnosis, processed it,
and inquired about some unfinished business he
had in the woods nine days out. "If you race next
weekend," Dr. Prud'Homme said, "I give you a
75% chance of ruining your meniscus and tearing
your MCL."
Injuries have not been a big part of Russell's
career but winning titles has been. He's only had
to focus on championships and race wins, not
healing up. "That was a $100,000 phone call I
got," Russell said of the doctor's advice to walk
away from the racing season. He was determined
to win the championships and he consulted his
family and Antti Kallonen, KTM Off-Road's team
manager to determine when. Four rounds of
GNCC remained and two rounds of Enduro. The
longer he waited the more time his knee could
heal and adapt to compensate for lacking an ACL.
But a longer delay also meant he would be short-
ening his post-surgery recovery time to be ready
for 2016. He split the difference and scheduled
the surgery for October 15. That would give him
two chances to wrap up both titles. "There's no
way I couldn't try this and live with myself," Rus-
sell said.
----
Dr. McGee came to the Unadilla GNCC on
September 20. He taped Kailub's right knee so
THERE WAS PAIN
IN HIS FACE. I
DON'T KNOW HOW
HE DID IT. – DR. JAMES MCGEE
