Paul Basagoitia – #irideforpaul

Through the inspiring journey of a recovering athlete, Any One of Us offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world of spinal cord injuries. Paul really puts his heart and soul out for the world to see. This film is a must see and really goes deep into the life of someone with a spinal cord injury. Congrats to Paul and his team for such an amazing piece work.

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This year’s Red Bull Rampage hosted another wild contest of mountain biking’s best and bravest riders in the unique free ride competition. Five time Red Bull Rampage competitor, Paul Basagoitia, the two time Crankworx Whistler slopestyle winner and first rider to land a double backflip in natural terrain — was injured during his run at this year’s Rampage finals on Oct. 16.

Paul was rushed by helicopter from the contest site with little word on his condition. The web broadcast stated that it was a minor leg injury but hours later we found out it was a bit more severe.

A fellow rider and friend who was also in the finals, Cam Zink posted this on his Instagram the day after the event:

“@camzink Everyone send Paul Basagoitia positive vibes! This champion has started a long road to recovery after shattering his T12 vertebrae yesterday and undergoing 9 hours of surgery. He had a winning run going and may have set the record for biggest step down just before going down. Lots of tears have been shed. Keep Paul in your prayers to regain feeling in his legs. There were some horrible people spreading false news that he was OK, but he needs your support more than ever to walk again. Paul, you are the most tenacious human and competitor ever. Love you bud! You’ll be back!”

At Road 2 Recovery we fully understand his journey ahead. Road 2 Recovery has already been in contact with family and friends as well as event personnel. We have been sharing the knowledge of our board of directors (including Jimmy Button who has had a similar injury) and are currently laying out a path to recovery for him and his family. Unfortunately even the best insurance will fall short in many areas. To assist Paul and his family with the opportunity to get the best care available you can make a tax deductible donation in any amount on the special link provided here.

If you are on a mobile device make sure to go to the bottom of the page to use the specific Paul Basagoitia link. Please leave Paul a comment of encouragement below as well.

Video of crash – https://instagram.com/p/87ODhZQi07/

Update: Oct, 19th, 2015 from girlfriend Nichole Munk, “His chest tube that was put in to assist with access to his spine during surgery was removed today and he is such a fighter that he is already looking forward to rehab! This is all new territory for us and we are flooded with information right now, but he will beat this! Thank you to all the riders, sponsors, friends and people involved with the event that have shared their support”.