PUEBLO, Colo. (September 28, 2010) - Brian Canter has been doing a great deal of riding in anticipation of his return to the Built Ford Tough Series.
Unfortunately for fans of the North Carolina native, it has been on a stationary bike, not a bull. It’s part of the rehabilitation of his surgically repaired right hip.
“It’s just going to take time,” said Canter, who emphatically stated that he won’t return to competition until he’s 100-percent recovered. “Slowly but surely, it’s getting better.”
Canter unsuccessfully tried to come back in mid-July, but left the Tulsa, Okla., event 0-for-3. He soon found himself in the office of a hip specialist in Dallas, after experiencing severe pain from his hip to his knee.
He admitted that had he not competed and instead listened to the advice of his doctors, who urged him to wait, he likely would be able to ride at this point.
He estimates his hip is about to 75 percent of where it needs to be as far as range of motion, flexibility and strength.
“I came back too early,” Canter said. “I thought I was ready to go and just made it even worse. I’m going to make sure I’m ready to go for sure for next time.”
He’s hoping that will be the first event of the 2011 season in New York. However, he’s willing to wait if he has any doubts, or if his doctors, including Dr. Tandy Freeman, have any concerns.
Canter rode in 11 events this year, and his best finish was 6th place in Sacramento, Calif.
After debuting at one BFTS event in 2005, his best finish came in 2006 when he ended the year in 8th place in the world. He followed that up with a respectable 11th-place finish in 2007.
He then dropped all the way to 25th in 2008 after initially injuring his right hip. Last year, he earned three of his five career BFTS event wins, but labored through an injury-plagued season and finished 18th.
“You could just tell it was going down,” said Canter, who insists that he’ll contend for the 2011 title. “I’m getting healthy now, so I’ll be back around.”
In the meantime, aside from all bike riding – he peddles 3 miles as part of his warm-up routine – he’s been working with a physical therapist two hours a day, three days a week.
Canter said there about 20 different stretching routines he uses, and that he’s been working his left hip as well, to improve his stability.
Because he had ridden for two years before having the hip repaired, it was off-center by an inch, and everything else had healed into place around it.
“That’s what’s going to take time,” Canter said. “All the stuff is going back to normal now.”
NEWS AND NOTES
Live Event Center: Follow all the action from this week’s BFTS event in Uncasville, Conn., including the fourth of five bonus rounds for the Top 10 riders, by logging on to the Event Center at www.pbr.com/live. The multimedia center provides live scoring, live blogging and event-related interviews.
