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Paul Basagoitia’s Road to Recovery Fundraiser and Update from Paul Himself

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Ride for Paul
Photo credit: irideforpaul.com
During the finals of the 2015 Redbull Rampage, what was first thought to be just minor leg injury turned out to be far more serious for  two time Crankworx Whistler slopestyle winner and free ride legend Paul Basagoitia. Hours after his his accident, it was discovered that Paul had shattered his T-12 vertebra.

Head past the jump and see the positive update on Paul and find out how you can help through the Road 2 Recovery Fundraiser. *warning: slightly graphic post-op photos…..

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the pressures from various sources to “go big” and the athletes at risk, but this is not the time to go into it. Paul has a long road ahead of him but his girlfriend and friend & fellow competitor, Cam Zink, are relaying Paul’s positive attitude and determination.

Paul Basagoitia Back Zipper
Photo credit: irideforpaul.com

 Paul Basagoitia Chest Tube

Paul endured 9 hours of spinal surgery to repair the shattered vertebra in his back. The “zippers” above are securing where the incision from his spinal surgery were made in addition to where his chest tube was inserted and recently removed.

Paul Basagoitia Standing
Photo credit: irideforpaul.com
According to his irideforpaul blog, Paul has already started enduring some intensive rehab and it sounds as though they are about ready to transfer him to the Rehab Facility, which is a great sign!

Road to Recovery reached out to Paul’s friends and family to start helping out. Check out Paul’s blog for updates and click the link below to help out and a video message from Paul’s Facebook page.

 

Road to Recovery Mission Statement:

To provide financial assistance to AMA licensed professional motocross/supercross riders and action sports professionals in the event they sustain career ending injuries. Alongside the professionals the Foundation is dedicated to providing emotional and spiritual support to the families. Continue acting as a pathway for the action sports public and its supporters to donate funds to be issued to injured professionals.

 

Go to road2recovery.com/irideforpaul to donate.

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19 Comments
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8 years ago

I don’t pray for much but I’m praying for that guy. Jesus.

Rotomon
Rotomon
8 years ago

Best of luck and a hope you have a swift recovery.

Speshy
Speshy
8 years ago

These guys compete on such a high level and provide so much advertising for companies, it’s really a travesty to see them get the short end when they wreck.

postophetero
postophetero
8 years ago

Let’s support Paul Bas! I think its safe to assume we could all afford to donate $30 bucks to Paul’s recovery effort–time for us all to step up and support a good guy.

brian howard
brian howard
8 years ago

Can the title sponsor maybe pony up some money for the inevitable horrific crash victim???? way to profit off of an adrenaline junkie’s soul. Can we put an end to this you tube sensational side show garbage. how many more of our friends do we need to severely injure to be satisfied? Is like the click bait culture meets our beloved sport… “watch this 17 year old fracture his leg” “see this 21 year old end his ability to walk” “dude does double backflip and lands on head” are we that sick of a society where this is acceptable??? put an end to the madness. i will not donate $30 bucks to this. Redbull should pay 100% of the bills and then cancel any plans for the event next year. Instead funnel the money into cycling advocacy and trail maintenance. this is sickening. funk everything about this..

dG
dG
8 years ago

What Brian said. Why this guy is not insured 100% is beyond my comprehension.

Tom
Tom
8 years ago

I thought Red Bull DID cover medical expenses in their invitational events?!

In any event, I’m good for some dough. The poor guy has enough to worry about, without medical bills adding to the list.

liljoe
liljoe
8 years ago

Heal up fast Paul!!!

Lemond Rider
Lemond Rider
8 years ago

You can’t protect people from themselves. Buy health insurance like the rest of us. TIP: Nucynta is the only opioid pain reliever that doesn’t cause constipation. It worked for me after 2 back surgeries.

haromania
haromania
8 years ago

After seeing that course, I am surprised more riders weren’t injured.

Jesse Edwards
Jesse Edwards
8 years ago

@dG I can’t imagine anyone would insure them 100%

Lemond Rider
Lemond Rider
8 years ago

I have insurance. They wouldn’t they?

PsiSquared
PsiSquared
8 years ago

It’s certainly nice to see that this has gone from a story about an injured rider and an effort to raise funds for him to apparently commentary about why the rider in question wasn’t insured. Here’s a hint: unless you know the personal details of Paul’s life, you’re unlikely to be in any position to make an educated comment about his health insurance status or why he may not have insurance.

I wish the guy well.

irideforpaul
irideforpaul
8 years ago

This may shed some light on things for Bike Rumor readers: http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Opinion-When-Does-Risk-Outweigh-the-Reward-How-Red-Bull-Rampage-Changed-Our-Perspective,932

Keep supporting Paul. He needs it.

gjj
gjj
8 years ago

Have redbull put anything towards this, especially after the pre-event publicity about the lack of support for injuries.

aaron
aaron
8 years ago

(deleted)

Charlie Best
Charlie Best
8 years ago

Guess lots of people didn’t read this:

“There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the pressures from various sources to “go big” and the athletes at risk, but this is not the time to go into it.”

Dude made his choices, now he needs a little help dealing with the consequences, seems pretty simple to me.

Jason
Jason
8 years ago

When I watch clips of this and other events, it is clear that the riders are bumping up against the limits of what is physically possible. Major advances in materials and suspension design over the past 13 years–and really big balls–have pushed the boundaries of what the average rampage rider can accomplish safely 98% of the time, but to expand the boundary now the only variable left is courage. Someone will die soon if this continues–and that’s really why a proportion of the audience tunes into an event such as rampage.

Red Bull is making huge profits and should completely support the athletes that help give them such widespread brand recognition. If, as a company, you can obsessively maintain a fleet of vintage aircraft, you should at the very least be able to divert a very small percentage of profits to supporting all aspects of an injured employees (don’t get me started about “independent contractors”) recovery, family respnosibilities and financial obligations.

james palmer
james palmer
8 years ago

paul get better.i really hope you recover and are back on the bike!love ya

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