Andrew Cho auction – Online Now!

UPDATE – the online portion of the auction is now live. Sign up and place your bids today!

What: Silent (live) and online fundraising auction
Where: FORLiSE, to the left of lululemon in the Whistler Village, Whistler, BC
When: January 29, 2017 from 4:30 to 9 pm
How: Bid in person or online

The mountain bike community is rallying around Andrew Cho, GT Bicycles’ digital marketing manager and former pro rider who was recently paralyzed, with a fundraiser auction in Whistler to help offset the cost of his recovery and long-term care requirements.

In the weeks since the accident, Cho has been moved out of hospital to G. F. Strong Rehab Centre and is making progress in his recovery, having regained some movement on the right side of his body. He still has a long way to go before he can walk again, however, and the money raised in this auction will go towards making that goal a reality.

Event organizer Louise Hatton said that as soon as she heard about Cho’s accident, she knew she had to do something. “I’ve been friends with Andrew for a long time and worked with him for years. He’s a great person and has given so much to the mountain biking community. As soon as I heard the news, my brain started working, trying to figure out a way to help him,” said Hatton. “There’s already a GoFundMe campaign running, but I wanted to do something to show Andrew how much the mountain bike community in particular cares about him and his recovery.”

The combination silent and online auction will be held at FORLiSE (to the left of lululemon in the Whistler Village) in Whistler, BC on January 29, 2017. It will feature more than $10,000 worth of items donated by companies like GT, SRAM, GoPro, Gibbons Whistler (which owns several pubs and nightclubs in Whistler), Troy Lee Designs, Altus, My Package, Race Face and Five Ten. The Lift Coffee Company in the Whistler Village will also be donating all proceeds from sales on January 27 to Cho’s recovery fund, which also happens to be Andrew’s 30th birthday.

Mike Marro, GT’s Creative Director, had this to say about Andrew: “Cho is an amazing person, talented rider and integral part of GT’s Global Marketing Team. He’s been with the GT/CSG family for many years, first as team rider then growing into his current Digital Marketing role. Andrew is surrounded by friends (both personal and industry) and family at the hospital, and has been in regular contact with his team here at GT, on a daily basis. He is continuing to make progress with each passing day… this is such an awesome sign. Please join me in wishing him a very speedy recovery.”

Rocky Mountain rider and another of Cho’s long-time friends, Geoff Gulevich, summed up the reason why so many people in the industry are getting behind this auction: “Andrew is a salt-of-the-earth, good-natured human. He has been there countless times for all of his friends in all types of situations. We are doing this for Andrew because it is the one time he has ever needed our help. He needs our open arms in the way of mental support, company and financial support to deal with the long road ahead.” Well said, Gully.

A partial list of items to be auctioned off includes:

– A limited edition GT Zaskar carbon frame – Brandon Semenuk signed jersey – Tyler McCaul signed jersey – Sombrio gift certificate – lululemon yoga starter kits (x2) – Fox Shox dropper seatpost – Fox Shox fork – Clothes from Fox Head – BC Bike Race Day 6 entry plus swag – Rocky Mountain dirt jumper frame from Geoff Gulevich – One month pass from Meadow Park rec centre in Whistler – 10 pairs of underwear from My Package – Troy Lee Designs D3 helmet

– Atlus neck brace – 1 pair of Five Ten shoes – Multiple items from Race Face, including an Agent softshell jacket, a Next SL crankset and Sixc handlebar – Anthill Not 2 Bad skateboard deck – GoPro Hero Session camera – Multiple items from SRAM, including a Pike RCT3 fork, a Steve Smith handlebar and a Reverb seatpost – Two Joyride VIP passes for Crankworx 2017 – One Top of the World pass for Crankworx 2017 – One Steve Smith print, from photographer Paris Gore – One Sterling Lorence print – Highland Bike Park 2017 season’s pass

The live portion of the auction will run from 4:30 to 9 pm on Sunday, with Rocky Mountain Frorider and Director of Good Times, Brett Tippie, on hand to emcee the event. There will also be a cash bar at the auction, so everyone can raise a toast to Cho on his birthday.

People interested in bidding on items and supporting Andrew on his road to recovery can view them in person at FORLiSE and place written bids during the silent action. You can bid online at 32auctions.com.

Please note – There will be a minimum bid on all auction items. All items purchased in the silent auction must be paid for at the end of the auction, in cash.

For more information or to donate an item for the auction, contact Louise Hatton at [email protected].

---

Got Cho Back!