A rib injury in an athlete may not always require several weeks of enforced rest, as may be seen in the present case report of an elite‐level distance runner who fell onto his chest while cycling. Essential primary treatment is to determine accurately the presence or absence of any underlying injury such as pneumothorax. If such injury is absent, aggressive initial rehabilitative therapy and appropriate medication, followed by a steady transition back to normal training as comfort permits, can safely minimize loss of physical fitness and competitive down time. Because the athlete described here had been part of a long‐term cardiopulmonary fitness monitoring program, additional physiological and physical data, collected during an 8‐year period, provided a unique opportunity to understand better the effect of temporary debilitation from both a clinical and athletic perspective.