Josh Miltimore discovered his passion for BMX racing at an early age. By high school, he was competing in races across the country. But as quickly as his success began, his run ended when he was diagnosed with an intestinal disease. He went from riding bikes all day to being bedridden for nearly 10 years.
A little more than a year ago, Miltimore, 29, hopped back on his bike; since then, he’s been furiously making up for lost time.
During Memorial Day weekend, Miltimore took first in the cruiser race and fourth place in a race for the 28-and-older expert division at the Santa Maria Red Line Cup Qualifier. Almost 200 racers from all over California showed up to compete.
“I really wanted to get back into riding bikes and starting my life over again where it had ceased when I was 18,” Miltimore said.
Back then, Miltimore was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder known as ulcerative colitis—similar to Crohn’s disease, but contained within the lower intestines. His pursuit of BMX glory was shattered by a couple of sentences from his doctor.
“After I was diagnosed, my doctors pretty much told me to sell my bikes and buy some nice golf clubs because I would never be racing again,” Miltimore said. “I was completely devastated.”
Miltimore underwent pain and anguish for a decade. In 2004, he had two major surgeries and was put on potent pain medication that took its toll on him, physically and mentally. Miltimore went from always being on the move to barely able to move; he sank into depression.
After his last major surgery, he’d had enough.
“A year and a half ago, one night I realized that I was 27—about to turn 28—and for the last 10 years I’ve been sick. That’s a long time,” Miltimore said. “From that moment on, I decided I wanted to get back into my life. The main thing in my life before I got sick was my bike.”
There was no stopping Miltimore. Months after his surgery, with staples still on his stomach, he got back on his bike. He made it his goal to ride around his neighborhood every day. Slowly, he began to build up his strength, his stamina, and finally his confidence to race again.
“I didn’t really want to race. I was pretty nervous about racing again, and then the track director Scott McMann talked me into it. After he talked to me, I was hooked. After that, I just dove in head first,” Miltimore said.
Miltimore’s start back into the world of BMX was slow. His endurance wasn’t the only thing he was trying to build; he had to build his bike from scratch using parts he acquired from friends and Dumpsters. The first time he took his bike out to the track, his friends were “horrified.” They dubbed his bike “Frankenstein (Frankie) the Death Machine.”
By the end of 2011, Miltimore said he was racing as much as five times a week. As time went on, his skills improved—and so did his bike.
Miltimore is a member of the Gold Coast racing team and is sponsored by Mike Redman of Redman bikes. Redman surprised Miltimore just months ago with a new $500 frame. Miltimore named his two new bikes Pocahontas and Sacagawea.
He said he hopes to race this summer in Chula Vista and Las Vegas.
“When I first came back to riding, I couldn’t do a lap around the track,” he said. “But I just kept working on it and kept progressing, and I got to the point where I am winning races.”
This article appears in Jun 7-14, 2012.
