Two months ago, legendary cyclist Marianne Martin was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries following a severe crash near her home in Boulder. Now, as she recovers, she reflects on the emotional challenges athletes face when recovering from a life-changing injury like hers. Martin was riding at Sunshine Canyon in October when she said she had to suddenly brake while descending a steep section of road. The force of the stop caused her to lose control, and she was thrown violently to the ground. The crash left her with a collapsed lung, 12 broken ribs, a fractured clavicle in two places, a broken scapula and a road rash. The injuries were so severe that Martin has not been able to ride since the accident. For weeks, Martin was confined to her couch, with the ceiling as her only view. “When everything is broken, getting up was the hardest thing I did every day,” she said. "The hardest thing for me now is being so separated from my sport.” The accident has taken away not just her ability to ride, but a part of her identity. In 1984, she won the Women’s Tour de France, a grueling 670-mile race through mountainous terrain. She remains the only American to win that race. “I did feel when I was lying there on the couch, ‘Will I ever get that fitness back?’ Your life kind of stops.” Now, Martin is back on her feet, walking and even riding a stationary bike. In the afternoons, she spends time writing thank-you notes. "Thank you notes because people were so kind and generous and supportive during all this. I am just now getting off my narcotics so I feel like I can think clearly now," said Martin.