SCOTT Athlete Paul Basagoita Rides Again!
Since his injury last October at the Red Bull Rampage, SCOTT freeride athlete Paul Basagoita has been quietly grinding away on regaining his strength and nerve function. We’re happy to report that just last week, nearly a year after his horrible crash, he actually pedaled a bicycle for the first time! This degree of recovery is truly remarkable and we’re thrilled to share this good news with all of Paul’s fans.
“It's been a pretty emotional ten months,” Paul told us. “A few days ago I was able to pedal a bike for the first time since my accident. It was a huge milestone for me. I can't wait to start pedaling some single track stuff now!”
Prior to this milestone, Paul has been staying out of the spotlight and focusing on his recovery. “I know I've been pretty quiet lately,” he told us a few months ago. “I've been focusing a lot of my time on PT and healing. Pretty much every day I'm doing something to get back on to my feet,” he said.
The steady and dedicated approach to recovery has helped Paul make remarkable progress. He’s able to walk around the house with a cane. The fact that he’s walking, let alone riding, is a real-life miracle.
In addition to a full-time regimen of physical therapy since the accident, Paul has been working with a film crew to document his recovery. They visit every few weeks and film the progress that he’s been making. Paul is in the unique situation of having comprehensive footage of his riding before the crash, during the crash, and also after it.
“I've been pretty full throttle working on this documentary,” said Paul. “I was a little nervous with the film crew following me but it ended up being just fine,” he said.
Paul continued, “We have a lot goals and ideas that we want to showcase in the film. One of my personal goals was to start pedaling a bike around.” Happily, as of last week, he’s able to cross that one off the list.