After a super close-fought battle with Gee Atherton at the end of the last season it’s gutting to hear the news that it looks like last year’s World Cup Champion Stevie Smith is going to be out of the title chase this year, before the season has even started.

If you didn’t already know then in the middle of February Stevie was out in New Zealand as part of a SRAM press camp, and whilst having some fun in the Queenstown bike park he unfortunately bust his ankle in the process of completing a fairly mammoth huck-to-case manoeuvre. Here’s the video evidence…

I’d have been impressed if he’d had managed to stay on like he did without a smashed ankle, but to stay on with one…animal.

Anyway, the very next day he flew back home to get it operated on, and we were hoping that he’d be good to by the time the first round of the World Cup in South Africa came around, but sadly the world on the street now is that he won’t just miss the first round, he’ll also miss the second one in Australia too. With just seven rounds making up the entire World Cup season, and so many other riders fighting for the title, if the news is true then it’d be almost impossible for him to retain his title this year.

We are obviously gutted for Stevie and the start of the season certainly won’t be the same without him. I mean how could it be after he ended the season last year like this…

Heal up fast Stevie.