A couple of months ago we talked to Chris Alldredge, who was just getting back to 100 percent a few weeks before supercross started, and he seemed confident going into Anaheim 1 after having two tough introductory seasons. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a broken collarbone in a practice crash the week following Anaheim 1. He returned in Oakland but didn’t have much success there or in Arlington. A few weeks ago, he got hurt in a nasty crash in Seattle that involved Shane McElrath, which ended his season. We called him up today to see how his recovery is going, what he’s up to now, and what he has planned for the future.
“The crash was, for lack of a better term, really really bad. It was just one of those unlucky things where I made the mistake and wrecked. Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I’m actually still really bummed that Shane [McElrath] got hurt out of the deal. Even though he went and won Salt Lake [City Supercross] it still makes me feel bad because if I wouldn’t have wrecked he would have never been put in that situation. It was really bad and I ended up with the laundry list of injuries that there was [partially collapsed Lung, small bit of air in chest, grade one lacerated liver and adrenal gland. Fractured 10th rib, fractured pelvis, and fractured L1, L2, L3, and L4.] and only spent about 28 hours in the hospital and they were pretty happy with what they were seeing. I wasn’t bleeding at an uncontrollable rate; it was just a steady rate. So they were like, ‘Hey, you can go home if you want. It could get worse but it doesn’t look like it’s going to.’ So me and my mom jumped in my truck—I only live about five hours from Seattle. Drove back here to my hometown and have just been spending all my time here.”
Spending some time at home after his injuries last year was a big part of why Alldredge felt so refreshed and ready going into the season. With so much time spent at the test tracks which are very often located in another state, time with the family often gets pushed down on the priority list for riders. Now, Alldredge is taking some time to reconnect with his siblings.
“The first two weeks I just kind of laid back relaxed and easy, but was always able to walk,” he sadi. “They didn’t really give me any guidelines with the broken back and pelvis or anything. It was just kind of … don’t ride a motorcycle is what they said. So yeah, just been relaxing here at home and went to a couple volleyball tournaments, went to a couple of school things with my brother. Things that I never got to do as they were growing up, because I was always gone. So it’s been nice to be home and enjoy the time. I just started working for my stepfather again [Chris’ stepfather owns a fabrication shop] and trying to make some money.”
So what lays ahead for the former Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki recruit? As of now, the goal is to just get healthy and hopefully make it out to a few rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship where he’s had decent success with multiple top-10 finishes and a career high third place at Hangtown in 2015.
“Hopefully do a few rounds of outdoors, that’s the goal at the moment. Not quite sure yet. I haven’t given up on outdoors. I’m done with supercross,” he said. “Whether it’s confidence—which I really don’t have any at the moment—because things have gone so bad the three years that I’ve done it. Whether that’s bike problems or my own mental problems or just s****y luck, it just kind of happens. So I’m done with supercross, but I’d like to do anything outdoors. Australia, Canada, here in America or even in Europe. I still feel like I’m a good motocross rider, I just haven’t been able to show it because I always got hurt in supercross. So that’s kind of where I’m at, but at the moment I’m just working everyday and making money and trying to get healthy so I can hopefully swing a leg over a bike sometime soon.”
Unfortunately, injuries are a very real part of this sport, and it looks like they have finally taken their toll on Alldredge. We’ve seen the last of him on a supercross track, but he’s open to idea of a future of just racing motocross. Until that time comes he’ll continue to work for his stepfather and enjoy the parts of life he missed out on while chasing his dream of racing professionally.
