MUSQUIN SIDELINED | Bikesportnz

You wouldn’t have known it to watch Marvin Musquin race at the US GP at Glen Helen last month or race for his country at the Motocross of Nations in France, but the KTM star was well below his best.

The Red Bull KTM rider finished 10th and DNF in the MXGP class at a brutally-hot Glen Helen and then, just a week later at Ernee, in north-western France, he came up with 3rd and 2nd placings in the MX2 class at the MXoN, helping his country to successfully defend their MXoN crown.

A multi-time AMA/FIM champion and incoming 450 rookie, the flying Frenchman will be forced to miss a pair of offseason events due to surgery.

At round three of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Colorado, Musquin suffered a crash in a technical section of the course and injured the ligaments in his wrist.

Although the issue bothered him through the summer and required parts of his training schedule to altered, Musquin was able to complete the season and was in contention for the 250 class title at the final round, raced the 2015 MXGP of USA on a 450, then helped Team France win the 2015 Motocross of Nations.

While in France during the time off, Musquin visited hand specialist Dr. Ardouin and learned surgery was necessary. Riding with the injury had caused considerable damage to Musquin’s arm, including inflamed tendons, an inability to move his pinky finger, and numbness while riding the 450 at the MXGP of USA due to a pinched nerve.

After a successful surgery in France last week, Musquin begins recovery.

Unfortunately, the timing will cause him to miss the Red Bull Straight Rhythm and the Monster Energy Cup, but it sounds like he will be ready in time to defend his title as “King of Geneva” at the Geneva SX in December and start his 450 career in the Monster Energy Supercross Series.

“Since my crash in Lakewood, I was racing with an injury, which got worse races after races,” Musquin explained.

“I knew at the time that if I kept riding like this it wasn’t good but I couldn’t give up on the outdoor championship. Once the outdoor season was over, I met Dr Ardouin, from France, a hand specialist. It was clear I needed surgery. But I didn’t want to miss the Mx Des Nations, for myself but also for all the French fans and for my country.

“Monday morning after Ernee, I went back to see the doctor to do more exams which confirmed the necessity of the surgery. Dr Ardouin operated on my wrist. While on the operating table, the doctor couldn’t believe how much damages I made. He still doesn’t know how I was able to ride or even just use my hand.

“To make it simple, I stretched my ligaments in my wrist in Lakewood, then my wrist was loose, and the bone was irritating my tendons which were very inflamed. The bone was filing the tendons, which cut one of them and half of the other one. That explains why I couldn’t move my pinky anymore.

“I also had a compressed nerve in the elbow and the wrist, which caused the numbness of two of my fingers while riding. It was even more while riding the 450cc, and this is the reason why I had to stop the second Moto in Glen Helen. I’m glad we find the issue and we were able to hopefully fix it.