Cochrane Daredevil Returns to Stampede following 2023 injury

Local Cochrane daredevil returned to the Calgary Stampede Motocross this year following a major injury last summer. 

In 2023, Cochrane native Cody Matechuck broke his back riding in a motocross show in Washington, DC. He fractured his L3 spinous process when his chest protector unexpectedly got hooked on the rear fender of his bike. 

“I couldn't really get rid of the bike, and it forced me to land on the rear tire and get wrapped up into the rear of the bike,” said Matechuk.

Despite the nature of the injury, Matechuk didn't take long to bounce back and start doing what he loved again. After only five weeks, Matechuk was back on his bike, and at six weeks he was back to performing. 

And after looking back on it all, Matechuk claims that his unexpected injury in 2023 turned out to be a major catalyst in his life for the better.

“It was nothing but positive. It created a change in my life, physically, and mentally.” he said.

Matechuck claims that his injury forced him to take a deeper look at his life, and that this became a unique kind of healing process involving not only his body, but also his mind. 

“Change requires a bit of breaking down and rebuilding, and it was kind of a bit of a forceful breakdown and rebuild,” he explained.

The extreme athlete incorporated various methods into his healing journey, from working with Chinese medicine, to doing energy work and exploring his own mind. 

“I was able to give myself the time to learn myself and explore my mind, explore my body, and explore healing in new ways,” said Matechuk.

After going through his recovery journey, Matechuk now looks towards the future and his ambitions as a rider. He just finished performing at the 2024 Calgary Stampede in which he participated in 43 separate 20 minute long shows over the 10 and a half days of Stampede.

He also has a bunch of other shows lined up, and even mentioned his plan to develop a show in Cochrane for the very near future. 

“I have always wanted to ride my bike in front of a hometown crowd, so hopefully we can get an event set up shortly and bring the extreme sports to the town of Cochrane,” Matechuk said.

The Cochrane rider claims his life overall has greatly improved since his 2023 injury, which allowed him to take a deeper look at life and return to the sport he loves with a new and improved mindset.

“All in all, a tough experience, but a very positive experience,” Matechuk said, reflecting on the injury that brought him to this point.