"I had so much luck in my life"
DH World Cup Champ Jurgen Beneke Auctions 1994 Manitou Downhill Frame for Spinal Cord Research.
Jurgen Beneke had a lot of luck in the early 90s. He won world cup races, X Games medals, and eliminators. But the luck didn’t kick in on the days when he won. The days he was the most lucky were the days when he didn’t finish the race, but rather walked away from a crash with no life-altering injuries.
“We all tried to push the limits. All of us crashed. Injuries came with the territory, but we were always expected to heal up and try again.”
In 2010, Jurgen broke 2 vertebrae in his back. He ended up making a full recovery and didn’t have any spinal cord damage, but he realized how close he had been to a spinal cord injury after many years of pushing the limits of himself and his equipment. After this event, Jurgen decided it was time to give back to the bike community.
Jurgen is auctioning off his 1994 Manitou Downhill frame, and is donating all the proceeds to the Wings for Life Foundation. Wings for Life dedicates 100% of its funds toward spinal cord research project. To sweeten the deal, Jurgen is throwing in his 1993 Downhill World Cup leader’s jersey, complete with sponsor patches hand-sewn by his grandmother.
Those who are hoping to contribute but are not interested in bidding on the frame can donate to this GoFundMe campaign, with all proceeds going to the Wings for Life Foundation.
“Ask yourself, how many 'oh shit' moments have you had? Have you crashed, been in an accident, have you been able to walk away, make a full recovery? Well, you’ve been lucky, haven’t you, just like me. I say let’s put in $10 for every close call you’ve had, and let’s celebrate how lucky we have been by donating to the Wings for Life Foundation. I know I’m putting in the first $50.”
Click here to go to the GoFundMe page.
