[Id Rider]

The weekend before last, Tony Gardikas (aka Tony G) was riding in Aliso Viejo, CA. While riding he lost control of his bike and crashed. He landed on his head and broke his helmet in three places, and his NECK in three places as well (C2, C6 and C7). The doctors said that his injury is consistent with the one Christopher Reeves suffered. Tony also severely bruised his Carotid Artery and his Dr. was concerned about stroke. He is not going to have to wear a halo, but is in a very ridgid (and reportedly uncomfortable) plastic neck brace.

As we speak, Tony is not going to suffer from any kind of paralysis nor is he in any further danger of stroke...he is going to ride again; not soon, but he will ride again.

The Path Bike Shop in Tustin, CA and The Bike Company in Lake Forest, CA are going to sponsor and organize a benefit on behalf of Tony as he has no health/medical insurance. We are going to hold a demo day and ride on March 10 in Aliso Woods in Orange County, CA. Details to follow, but we will also hold a raffle (the proceeds of which will go to Tony G). The raffle will be for some pretty high-end stuff as many of our vendors know Tony G and want to help and are kicking in some really cool stuff. Stay tuned to www.thepathbikeshop.com and www.bikeco.com for more info as we plan the event.

-Mondo

 

[GMoney]

setup a web site that accepts paypal - I'm sure there are plenty of us that can't make it to the ride would be more than happy to contribute to the needs of a fallen rider...

tell your friend to get better soon!

 

[Id Rider]

Great idea...will do.
Thanks,
Mondo

 

[Bike Nazi]

Count me in (after I said my piece)

Being partial to mountain bikers I'll be gentle,
Tony you're an idiot, the most expensive thing about insurance is not having it.

So due to his your lack of prioritizing and no doubt pissing away potential health care and disability insurance dollars somewhere else, we now are supposed to cough up our hard earned dollars to help you.

O.K. I'm done, where do I send my check?

 

[LBmtb]

Great idea...will do.
Thanks,
Mondo

Let me known if you need any help with setting up a website or anything.

 

[Andy aka Rut]

Being partial to mountain bikers I'll be gentle,
Tony you're an idiot, the most expensive thing about insurance is not having it.
So due to his your lack of prioritizing and no doubt pissing away potential health care and disability insurance dollars somewhere else, we now are supposed to cough up our hard earned dollars to help you.
O.K. I'm done, where do I send my check?

Bike Nazi-
Being partial to mountain bikers I'll be gentle too,
Bike Nazi you're an idiot. While what you are saying is true, now is not the time to address it. Let the dust settle and THEN post something thought provoking that might get one person to get insurance. I would have to venture a guess that Tony G's biggest concerns aren't his health, but how in the world he is EVER going to pay for all of this.

On the plus side, The Path and The Bike Company ROCK!!! Two stand up local shops that are doing what they can to help a family member out! It is reasons like this that I will never support anything but the LBS's.

 

[CRASH]

I heard about the crash from Roger and Nancy it always sucks to hear about a fellow rider getting badly hurt. as for bike nazi it is easy to talk Shiat sitting behind a computer.
I like gmoney's idea. mtbr's are good at helping people in time of need.

 

[mtber3737]

Be sure and post the web site here...

Sorry to hear about Tony... something that could happen to anyone of us.

I'll start publicizing this to the various groups that I belong to and make this happen. Mountain bikers are notorious in closing ranks and helping out for a fellow fallen rider.

As Andy said, now is not the time for recriminations... our help is needed now.

Please use this board to keep us all updated.

OMR...
SoCal

 

[dstepper]

Very sad, hate to here about this kind of stuff. I will be there.

Dean

 

[CPATCRASH]

Sorry to hear. I'll be at the demo. I probably need another bike anyway. Heal fast!

 

[crash maxwell]

Wtf???

Being partial to mountain bikers I'll be gentle,
Tony you're an idiot, the most expensive thing about insurance is not having it.

So due to his your lack of prioritizing and no doubt pissing away potential health care and disability insurance dollars somewhere else, we now are supposed to cough up our hard earned dollars to help you.

O.K. I'm done, where do I send my check?

I say, you can keep your check! :madmax:
Some people don't have the luxury of the high paying job with the great, all paid medical benefits that go along with it.
I'm lucky, I've got a decent job, and yes, I work my a$$ off, it's very physical labor, with great health benefits. I have a wife and three kids, a mortage payment, car payments, bills, ect, ect, and yes, I am going to cough up some of my hard earned dollars to help this kid out.
And no, I am not being brave from behind a computer. I am very easy to find on the trails.....:eekster:

 

[Winston]

I've had the pleasure of riding with "Action Packed!" Tonyg several times. Extremely talented rider and a blast to have on a group ride.

Count me in.

Here is a picture of Tonyg chillin with the ladies:

 

[nanhar]

Insurance

As a side note....

The whole insurance issue is such a sensitive subject. I have countless friends (including way too many downhillers) that do not have any type of insurance. What do you say to someone when you know what can happen? Many of our fellow riders have been in the same predicament. How many times have you walked into a bike shop and seen someone's picture on a can, asking for donations, for this very reason?

All we can to is be gentle and caring and suggest that in the future maybe they will want to look into some type of coverage. I have been told that reasonable accident insurance is can be obtained through either IMBA or USA Cycling. Does anyone have any additional info?

IMBA:
http://www.adventureadvocates.com/IMBA/
International Mountain Bicycling Association is proud to Introduce the Adventure Advocates Plan

As a valued IMBA member, you can now, through the Adventure Advocates Plan, protect yourself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! You will be covered not only while riding your bike, but also for accidents resulting from nearly any activity (subject to certain exclusions and limitations).Even with health insurance, most people experience high out-of-pocket expenses when they find themselves involved in an accident - the Adventure Advocates Plan will cover your accident related out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles and coinsurance, up to $25,000 per accident (with a $100 per accident deductible). For those currently without health insurance, this coverage is critically important.

When purchasing the Cyclist Protector Program by joining Adventure Advocates, you will also receive a host of Non-Insurance member benefits designed to encourage and prolong your active, adventurous lifestyle. Individuals may join for only $25.00 per month or $275.00 per year(one month free when paying annually)!

Den Mother:thumbsup:

 

[doublewide]

I'll be there to help my brother out. Great rider, and one hell of a funny guy, gonna miss him on the FOCer rides for awile. Heal fast brother!

shitty

 

[Tracerboy]

Heard about this; no pinche bueno! I should just about be healed by then, so you can count me in!

-Dan

 

[CranxOC]

I say, you can keep your check! :madmax:
Some people don't have the luxury of the high paying job with the great, all paid medical benefits that go along with it.
I'm lucky, I've got a decent job, and yes, I work my a$$ off, it's very physical labor, with great health benefits. I have a wife and three kids, a mortage payment, car payments, bills, ect, ect, and yes, I am going to cough up some of my hard earned dollars to help this kid out.
And no, I am not being brave from behind a computer. I am very easy to find on the trails.....:eekster:

Hey guys, let's keep the flaming to a minimum here. We all have our opinions about insurance however, this thread IS NOT going to turn into a debate on the merits of whether or not one should or should not have insurance at a given time.

At this time, all any of us need to know or should care about is the fact that a member of OUR community has gone down hard and needs our help. Once he's better you can give him all the sh*t you'd like to regarding his decision making but, for now, lets do what we'd do for any other fellow rider we might encounter on the trails who's taken a hard fall: offer the guy your assistance and do what you can to help.
:thumbsup:

 

[CranxOC]

On another note, if any of you have any web design skills we could use some of your time to and talent in getting the website for this ride up and running. The domain name is already registered and ready to go, we just need someone who can do a quick web design and get the thing up and running for those of us who are HTML challenged. Shoot me a PM with your contact info if you can help.

 

[Andy aka Rut]

Nice Nanhar- well put.
I wasn't sure if I had ever met Tony. Thanks for posting a photo of him Winston. I do know him. Always smiling or concentrating on the trails. Great guy. I plan on being there for sure.

 

[Chopper]

As a side note....

How many times have you walked into a bike shop and seen someone's picture on a can, asking for donations, for this very reason?

Den Mother:thumbsup:

The can in my LBS has a picture of a beer bottle on it!

 

[mhykhelle]

And those not boycotting, USA Cycling/Norba also offer this same plan. Cheaper than a set of brakes.....