Leaving behind the buzz and adrenaline of racing has left Innes with a void in his life that is hard to fill. This definitely led him to inner and mental struggles. Innes Graham's story is full of ups and downs, very inspiring and it is one of those stories that makes you understand that living a sport at a high level is not easy: being a pro downhill it could be a dream but also soon turn into a nightmare.

Innes has always been passionate about bikes: in 2010, at the age of just fourteen, he forced his father to let him participate in the entire Scottish series Downhill Association (SDA) and from the beginning it was clear that he had a talent. In 2012, things began to get serious with a move to the Lapierre Cadets team and training in his home area, the Tweed Valley: in that year he won many races at national level.
Innes da Juniores (2013/2014) was an excellent athlete, with important victories at national level and podiums in the World Cup, and the confidence of Mondraker who took him in his team: as a junior 1st year he collected a 5th place in Leogang , a 2nd place in Hafjell and a 4th place in Mont Sainte Anne.
From here begins a bad period of injuries: "I broke my heel, broke both collarbones, shoulder and dislocated my hip. And there's probably more I can't remember ..."
2015 marked Innes' first year in the elite category. "I started my first year in the elite very strong, finishing in the top 20 in my first World Cup. I did really well in national races that year, but I couldn't bring that form into the rest of the World Cup season", tell us. “I struggled on the World Cup tracks. I was quite small and not as fit as some of the riders I was comparing with, so I often came out quite dissatisfied with my performance. Looking back, I realized that my approach to racing was completely wrong. I was focused only on the final goal, like a podium, rather than aiming for growth".
In 2016 he passed from the official MS Mondraker team to a smaller reality, the Team Propain Dirt Zelvy: among the teammates we find Philip Atwill. And there comes the terrible accident:
"I landed on a tree stump and felt my femur snap in half. I remember hearing a huge "CRACK!" and lying on the deck with my legs all crossed I thought, 'This is not how it should be!'
Innes Graham - enduro-mtb.com


Back in his small apartment in Tweed Valley, he fights the challenge of rehabilitation. "At this point I was living alone, in a tiny apartment. It was not a good situation to stand and limp with a broken leg". At this point, Innes began to wonder what he really wanted from life: instead of concluding the "journey on two wheels" on that fateful day in 2016, Innes used it to reflect, change course and find himself.
"It was the injuries that really made me think about racing. “It's not as funny as it used to be”, I thought to myself. I was putting 110% into my runs and my workouts. All I did was think about the next race and most of the time I came home broken and disappointed. I think that's what killed the spirit in me. I called not to rush the following year and went home to my dad for a while"
Innes Graham - enduro-mtb.com

Unable to ride a bike, with no income and lots of free time, Innes had to find a job as a waiter in a restaurant. And that took a toll on her mental health. "It's not something I'm ashamed of", He told enduro-mtb.com,"I think it is important to talk about these things and bring to light that mental health problems can affect anyone, even those who are said to be living the dream.".


Going from being a high-performance athlete, with a lot of experience and good results behind him, to having an injury at the end of his career, then feeling the pressure of financial stability, was difficult: "I went from winning races, traveling the world and living the dream, as they say, to the exact opposite. It was a big contrast and impacted my mental health, but I pushed it all under the rug and kept going. The people around me at that time were very different from my being and I struggled a lot with those relationships".
Six months after his fateful injury, Innes was able to get back on the bike, but the love for BMX was born: no rules, no competition, but a desire to have fun and test himself.

BACK TO MTB
The love for MTB, however, cannot be destroyed and hidden under a carpet, and it returns forcefully 4 years later. Innes starts a collaboration with a local photographer friend where she lends herself to being a “poser” on a RADON bike in Vans, jeans and t-shirt. He redeems the spark and Radon leaves him the bike without any contract: as long as he continues to ride the bike and represents the brand.



Shortly thereafter, Innes quit his restaurant job and began working part-time as a coach at the Dirt School, a renowned mountain bike company, and starting a photography business following many British and other professional companies and athletes. In 2021 he participates in the British DH national championship, always with an Elite card, and closes in 26th place and, a few days ago, wins the first PS of the Enduro World Series then closing the race in 3rd place! Ironically, the year before he had been a photographer at that competition.

Here is his official photography site: link and here is the descent won in the PRO Stage at the 1st of EWS in Tweed Valley. The story of Innes Graham is truly inspiring and must be a reference for the youngest about the strength and tenacity in facing life.
