Dan Prebe crashed his 200cc motocross bike nine feet from the finish line. A large crowd behind the Red Wing Athletic Field held its collective breath Saturday afternoon until it saw the former hill climb national champion raise a triumphant fist through a cloud of dust.
The cheering was a release of nearly seven years of pent up emotion for friends and family within the Indianhead Cycle Club.
“That’s as happy as he’s been in years,” said Aaron Prebe, his 26-year-old son.
Dan Prebe broke his back and severed his spinal cord in January 2003 during a snowmobile accident.
He had won the national motocross title the summer before, along with state titles in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The 45-year-old Old Frontenac resident was paralyzed from the chest down and his racing career was effectively finished.
The other best thing- racing — had become a distant memory. Still, he never stopped dreaming. Prebe finally voiced his idea of returning to the throttle about a month ago. It received a mixed reaction.
Not every conversation was positive, however.
“My kids were all like, ‘Yeah, go for it!’” Prebe said. “But when I called my mother there was silence for awhile.”
Prebe had initially planned to make just one ride Sunday. That quickly changed into riding on both days. When he topped the hill in his Sunday ride, tears of joy flowed down his face.
While he hasn’t decided what his future may hold, the eldest Prebe hopes the message of his comeback can inspire those around him.
“I was just so happy,” he said. “So many people came up and congratulated me. They came up and shook my hand and I didn’t even know who a lot of them were. And that’s the thing. I wanted to do this for me, but I wanted to be an inspiration to other people, too. I wanted to show people that you can do whatever you want no matter what’s happened to you.”
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