Grant was declared medically dead after a horrific crash in a bike race in the Italian Alps in 2013. His heart stopped beating – doctors defibrillated Grant twice as they fought to resuscitate him by the roadside on an Italian mountain. 22 bones were broken including his right femur, hip, sternum, lower spine, 12 ribs, scapula and clavicle, his right shoulder was crushed , both lungs punctured, veins in his neck and right arm as well as his spleen ruptured.
After 5 surgeries and only eleven months after the crash, Grant did the impossible. Doctors in Italy and South Africa at first were adamant he would never ride a bike again and then, when he did, they said it would be highly irresponsible to try and finish the race that ended so catastrophically for him the previous year. He returned to the Alps in July 2014 and finished the 140km race over 4 mountains that nearly killed him less than a year ago.
It was the biggest triumph of his life, a life changing experience he credits to God still today. Perhaps even more importantly, it showed Grant how he could make the best use of his second chance at life.
Every year since then, his extreme brand of fundraising on the bike and trails across the world, has become harder and harder – paving the way for him to reach hundreds of millions across the globe, inspire audiences in over 13 countries, thousands of school learners in Holland, USA and SA, while raising millions for sick and underprivileged children.
That goal fuels Grant with every painful push up some of the world’s most grueling mountains. His faith and heartfelt conviction that anything is possible if you believe, continues to inspire people around the world. It’s why Grant calls his extreme endurance challenges the Im’possible Tours. They reflect the mountains that people – and especially our youth – face in life every day.
