Last summer, Fit Bike Co. pro Van Homan broke his tibia and fibula on a riding trip in North Carolina. A month later, he decided to close his longtime local bike shop, Twobyfour. In the time since, Homan has concentrated his efforts on leg rehabilitation, and only recently started riding again (even though he's still not at 100%). Needless to say, it's been a rough go for Van Homan in recent months, but he's managed to keep his head up and look on the bright side. Recently, we sat down with Homan to discuss life after Twobyfour, the state of his leg break and what to expect in 2013.

XGames.com: Since the closing of TwobyFour last year, has the scene changed at all?
Homan: Obviously the shop is missed but real riders still ride. I really don't like dwelling on putting the shop behind me. It's something I thought long and hard about and I really think moving on was best. I'm looking forward to my leg being 100% so I can travel and ride as much as possible. That was the major motivating factor in closing the shop.

The TwobyFour team was such a tight group of friends. Since the closing of the shop, does the team still exist and if so do you plan on any more trips or videos?
Like you said, The team is just a group of friends so of course that remains intact. The guys are all straight up honest dudes and that's the kind of people I like to surround myself with. Everyone is doing really good right now and it couldn't make me happier. I'm looking forward to any excuse to hit the road with the TwobyFour crew again.

"A compound fracture wasn't part of the original "ride and travel more" plan."Van Homan

What have you been up to since the shop closed?
Mostly getting my leg healthy, a compound fracture wasn't part of the original "ride and travel more" plan.

How's the rehab going with your leg?
It's been slower then I would have liked but it was a nasty break. I'm getting better every day and should be back to business as usual by spring time.

Do you think you're going to keep the pins in your leg?
They stay in unless they are bothering me. So let's hope they stay in.

You've been spending a lot of time down in Richmond, Va. lately. Is there a reason for this?
Yeah, my lady lives down there so I've been heading south a lot. Richmond is an easy place to visit, there's an awesome group of riders and it's just a fun vibe in general. I've always liked the southern cities, so having one more excuse to visit is a good thing. 

You recently tagged along on an FBM trip, how was that experience?
[Steve] Crandall asked me to roll down to Florida for the Banned Jam so I jumped in the bus. The trip was real laid back, lots of camping, laughing and Uno. I'm just getting back to riding so having the chance to hang out with an awesome crew on a stress free trip was perfect. 

Let's talk a little about the companies that you ride for: Fit, IPath, and G-Sport. Are there any new products that are coming out this year that you are involved with?
I'm working on some shoe stuff with IPath as well as a new peg for G-Sport. We're already talking specs and colors for the next round of Fit completes.

How has the switch to IPath been going?
IPath has been amazing, such a good team. I've been getting closer with team manager Brian Osborne and the owner Tom Mcgee, so I'm really looking forward to more projects with them. The IPath slogan sums it all up -- "Search and Enjoy." Life is about going out there and finding the fun. IPath is doing things and it's motivating to be a part of something that's moving forward.

For the year of 2013, do you have any personal goals that you'd like to accomplish?
Obviously getting the leg back to 100% is on the top of my list. I'm trying to visit some new countries this year. The plan is to keep stacking clips and put out a video part I can be proud of by the end of the year. I also have a couple ideas to help out the Athlete Recovery Fund, so hopefully those can become a reality as well. The year is just starting but it will fly by so I better get to it.