Walkner’s soul confession: “At some point, even morphine won’t help anymore”

The motorcycle crash over an overlooked edge in a dry riverbed in the Californian desert could have cost Walkner his life; at the very least, a lower leg amputation was a possibility. But after six operations and 35 hours in the operating room, the Salzburg native is already thinking about a comeback on the motorcycle. Although the 2018 Dakar winner walked into Hangar-7 without crutches. “It doesn't look like the catwalk yet,” says the former motocross world champion. “But a lot has happened in the last few weeks and months.” In a conversation with presenter Christian Nehiba, the Salzburg native gave a glimpse into his innermost thoughts.

Walkner about …

… the recovery progress: “Of course, the whole system, the tissue, has to slowly get used to the strain again. But I'm definitely heading in the right direction and I'm on the road to recovery and I can get around 80 percent of my everyday life without crutches.”

Using a trick to get on a motorcycle during rehab: “I also jumped ten or twelve meters”

… the rehab in Tobelbad, where Walkner managed to get on the motorcycle with a trick: “The work simulation in the last week of rehab is what I remember most. I had my KTM electric motorbike with me and went to the porter and asked him if I could do a work simulation because that is also the goal of the rehab center. They then said: 'What now?' Then I said: 'You have a hectare of forest behind the house and all the paths are actually already overgrown and they need to be moved a bit.' So I was allowed to drive around the rehab center for an hour and a half. The patients really enjoyed it because they saw something different for once. It really worked relatively well again (…). I even jumped ten or twelve meters.”

“When I was in the air I knew: This is really going to hurt!”

… the accident in California on December 5th: “When I was in the air, I knew: OK, this is going to really hurt. That was by far the worst moment I've ever had. As I was jumping down, I saw a picture frame in front of me with the typical wheelchair symbol on the left and a black photo on the right, and to this day I still don't know what it means.”

… the horror weeks after the accident: “I always believed that in 2016, when I broke my femur, that was the maximum I could endure. But that was a different league now, where I say that I would gladly accept three broken femurs.”

“At some point, even morphine won’t help anymore”

… Pain medication: “All the bones, these operations and all the plates I have in there, it really hurt.” At some point, morphine doesn't help anymore. I was given 40 milligrams of morphine. Normally, with 20 milligrams, they say that you have to make sure that an older man is still breathing properly.”
Matthias Walkner about his medication.

… his progress and first thoughts on the comeback: “First there was everyday life without a wheelchair, then cycling, then motorcycling. We've now ticked all of that off the list. The next big goal is, of course, to be able to ride a motorcycle properly again. It would be cool if I could ride again at the beginning of next year so that I get back to 80 percent and it was fun again, because motorcycling is exactly what defines me as a person, what gives me so much strength and motivates me every day.

It's so hard to say where the journey will take me because I don't know how much pain my foot, the cartilage or the six centimetre bone defect will have. Of course, ending my career like this would be madness.”