Longboarder Kevin Reimer hasn’t lost Pender Harbour’s annual Attack of Danger Bay race for the past five years, and now he would like the world to know that he hasn’t lost a limb, either.
“My mum showed me the article… She fired it over to me and I’m like, oh this is going to be awkward,” said Reimer from Santa Barbara.
Concerns about his appendages arose after a letter written by Attack of Danger Bay organizer Bricin Lyons was published in a local paper. “Unfortunately, Reimer broke his arm crashing in California last month and pulled out of the race so doctors could amputate his limb,” wrote Lyons in the letter.
While Reimer confirmed with Coast Reporter that his limbs do remain intact, his status as the race’s reigning champion will not.
Careening down steep hills on a plank with four wheels can lead to crashes, and that’s what’s keeping Reimer out of the 17th annual race, taking place May 20 in Pender Harbour.
The Santa Barbara-based boarder is a field tester for skateboard company Powell-Peralta and while testing the durability of a new wheel tread formula, he slid off the road at 60 km an hour. “It was not an excessive fall by any means. I tumbled as I went into the ditch and had a little break in my wrist,” said Reimer.
Lyons told Coast Reporter he had heard speculation about an amputation but had not spoken to Reimer directly. He later apologized to the editor of the publication.
“He is a jokester, he is a prankster and he is not afraid to exercise that ability on publications, either,” said Reimer in response to the fake news.
While Reimer said “it was not great” to have to dispel the myth to his friends and family, he’s more disappointed that his injury will keep him out of this year’s race. He has won seven of 16 Danger Bay Races, including the last five in a row – a race record. “This is a really long streak. Nobody has held on to the win for so long, so it is frustrating to have set this record and not be able to do continue with it,” he said.
About 120 racers are expected to flood Pender Harbour for the Victoria Day long weekend for one of the oldest longboarding races in the world. Racers from the U.S., Kamloops and Calgary will compete, as well as U.K.’s Pete Connolly, the Guinness World Record holder for fastest downhill skateboarder, with a top speed of 146.73 kilometres per hour. Other competitors to watch out for are local Dane Hannah, Californian Max Capps and Adam Persson.
“We always joke you’re not a world champion … unless you win in Danger Bay,” said Lyons.
This year, Lyons also hopes to raise money at the race to build a longboarding museum in Cape Breton, where he recently moved with his family.
Those attending are advised to take a free shuttle bus leaving Oak Tree Market that will run for the duration of the race, starting at 8 a.m.
