The National
Spinal Cord
Injury Association

Disability in the News Archive

Professional Cyclist Injured in Climbing Accident

March 28, 1998 -- Professional cyclist and two-time Olympic biathlete Beth Coats was in the intensive care unit of a Boulder hospital on Friday after suffering head and back injuries in a climbing accident this week.

Coats, 31, from Breckenridge, is expected to undergo surgery today at Boulder Community Hospital to relieve pressure along her spinal cord, said Chris Hart, a friend from Breckenridge. Coats was in stable condition Friday.

She fell during a climb Wednesday at Eldorado Canyon State Park. Hart said it was too early to know if Coats suffered any permanent spinal injuries, but a test conducted Thursday of her spinal cord brought some positive news.

"We'll know a lot more after surgery," said Hart. "Her mother told me the other day that this was like a nightmare for her, and she wishes she could wake up. But her family is holding together, and there was positive feedback from the probe the doctors did (Thursday), so we're all hopeful," Hart said.

Coats, a professional cross-country mountain bike racer, was hurt Wednesday while climbing with a friend in popular Eldorado Canyon. The friend, whose name was not available, told Boulder County sheriff's deputies that Coats lost her grip while descending the Bastille and fell about 35 feet.

She was unconscious and not breathing when her companion reached her, according to a sheriff's report. He revived her, and members of Rocky Mountain Rescue Group took her to safety.

Coats, who was an alpine skier at Western State College, became an American champion in the biathlon, a Nordic sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship.

She earned spots on the American Olympic biathlon team in the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, finishing 47th in the 15-kilometer event in the 1992 games in Albertsville, France, and 33rd at the 1994 Olympics in Norway. She also was a three-time national champion.

Coats also has found success as a cyclist. She became a professional mountain bike cross-country racer in 1995, her last year as a skier.

She finished 17th in the world championships in 1996 and 16th in 1997. She was third overall in the National Off-Road Bicycle Association standings.

She recently signed a contract with Diamondback Race Team. "Beth is focused, and very self-reliant," Hart said. "She's instinctively known what she needed to do to get ready and get better, and she never had a lot of coaching when she made the Olympic teams. She's really independent, but she's also a free spirit. She's the sort who would take off and go climbing for a week."

Word of Coats' injury circulated rapidly around Breckenridge, where Coats has lived for nearly a decade. Her sister, Robin, also lives in the mmunity. "My phone's been ringing off the hook," Hart said. "Beth's got a lot of friends here."

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