For my first race of the year I traveled over to the East Coast of Iowa to race in the Eagle Point Crit hosted by Chain Reaction Cycling. Todd Juhlin joined me but was a bit leery about driving 2.5 hours to race in a Crit that was just 16 laps on a 1 mile course. I'll just say it now - Todd was glad he made the trip!
The setting could not be more stunning with the Crit taking place in eagle Point Park which sits high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi. Having grown up just down the river from Dubuque, I felt very much at home with the Muddy Miss in sight.
We were very grateful that the rain held off and the temp's stayed pretty cool with a lot of tree cover to protect us from the wind. The course was an oval with the start/finish line on the down ward slope, the bottom of the course featured a hair pin turn that if you were top 3 or 4 first into the turn you could hold your speed of nearly 30-35 mph and the backside of the course was a meandering road with several upward pitches. Overall a very fun and fast course.
At the start, as in most crits, it got off to a pretty fast start with Mike Johnson from Bike Tech in Cedar Falls providing most of the towing services and on the 3rd laps I kicked the pace up mostly in an attempt to get warm and I regretfully shed my arm warmers and knee warmers before the start. For most of the race either Todd or I would take a flyer off the front along with a couple of others trying their luck only to be brought back by a diligent group that really just wanted a bunch sprint on the down hill finish. Todd and I both knew if it came to that we would end up as just pack fill.
With three laps to go, I sprinted off the front to be the first into the hair pin turn, knowing I want the guys at the back to feel as much pain as possible and I just kept the pace as high as I could till Steve Reynolds from All9Yards pulled through. I was able to grab his wheel for the next lap and with everyone in tow I sat in to set up my stratgey for the final lap. Todd and I were toward the front on the last lap with myself being 2nd wheel and Todd being about 3rd/4th wheel. I was just getting ready to sprint off the front when I saw Todd jump first and I knew this was a wining move- well timed!!!. I waited a a few seconds and then I jumped off the front too. With Todd's strong TT power I knew he had it won and I just tried to put into practice those four long winter months of spinning techniques I had learned (Sorry no isolated legs on this one) and I barley held on to second place.
Todd had a perfectly timed move on the back side of the course and received a well earned 1st place!
Moral of the Story: 1) You've got to get to the races in order to have a chance at winning. 2) You don't win a race (or come in second for that matter) with out a lot pain being involved. 3) Just make sure you don't let the 14 year old in the race beat you (what a good racer!)
My Sigma Computer Stats had us averaging 23 mph and my top speed was 37 mph.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
He'll mend, but will rift between autos, bikes?
From the Des Moines Register, 4/18/09:
A week after the accident, it takes Doug Smith forever to move from the hospital bed to the walker to the door.
But at least he's alive and eventually he will recover.
The broken pelvis and fractured skull will heal. The ruptured muscles in his lower back will stop throbbing. The cuts and scabs on his arms, hands and face will disappear.
And Smith, 46, a husband and father from Des Moines, will be back on another bicycle on another country road in a few months.
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"As soon as I can," he said Friday from his room at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center. "But I might look at some other states for training. Maybe pick a place that's more bike-friendly."
Smith, along with the 500 cyclists who rallied at the Statehouse this week in response to his April 11 accident, have their doubts about Iowa.
During the current legislative session, lawmakers considered a bill that would make the roads safer for bikers. They talked about expanded passing and following distances. They looked into other measures that might help people like Smith, but the talk never became action.
What might never mend, Smith worries, is the rift between the motorists and cyclists who share the roads. The relationship is beginning to feel like a holy war on wheels.
The morning Smith was run down by a truck on a two-lane rural road in Madison County, Tim McCoy was riding alongside. McCoy framed the discussion like this:
"How do we get fellow motorists and cyclists to see each at the core of who we are - human beings?"
Smith, a commercial photographer, doesn't have the answer. The Iowa that makes targets out of cyclists, he says, isn't the Iowa he knows.
While Smith lay broken on the highway, the residents from nearby farmhouses brought blankets to keep him warm.
"That's what Iowa is to me," he said. "Not the mentality that says we can use our cars to run over you. I don't know where that mentality comes from. That's the hardest thing for me right now. If I'd been alone, I could have bled to death."
Smith knows he is vulnerable on a bike. He knows he is taking a risk. Last September, Smith had the right-of-way on a green light when a driver turned into him.
"It was pretty minor," he said. "The guy flat-out didn't see me. That was truly an accident. It happens."
On one hand, Smith said, you have the 1 percent who drive around angry. These are the drivers who intimidate and threaten the cyclists - the ones who honk and glare when they pass or slow to a crawl or throw things.
"They do it to mess with you," Smith said. "I kind of wave them by: OK, I get it, you don't like me. I don't understand where the mentality comes from. That's the hardest thing for me right now. We're not confrontational people. We're riding around in our underwear."
Smith's group is more hard-core than most. Some are competitive racers who train more than 20 hours a week.
When he was invited to ride with them, he saw their dedication, skill, discipline and fitness and decided that was the lifestyle for him. Smith isn't at that level yet, but these are people who go on RAGBRAI to take a break from training.
They say the bike trails don't work for them. The trails are filled with mothers and kids and strollers and dogs. To train properly, they need an open expanse. They need the hills and the distances the trails don't offer.
The road to Winterset seemed like the perfect track. Smith doesn't remember much about the accident. When he opened his eyes in the hospital, someone he didn't recognize was holding a cracked bicycle helmet and saying this is what saved you.
That's when it started to come back. He was with a group that left Rasmussen's Bike Shop in West Des Moines at 7 a.m. on April 11 and rode toward Winterset. When they arrived, eight riders headed back to Des Moines.
In an e-mail to friends, McCoy described what happened next. The group was riding two-abreast near the side of the road.
A man in a truck hauling anhydrous ammonia was honking his horn and approaching from behind. Smith was next to McCoy, who was riding close to the white line on the right edge of the road. They were going about 20 miles per hour.
McCoy suddenly felt pressure against the left side of his body and bike. He thought he was about to crash.
"The next moment I heard screaming as the truck raced past us," he wrote. "The force pushed me to the side. ... I looked back, and there was our friend Doug in the middle of the road."
People screamed, cursed, cried and prayed. As they waited for an ambulance, a rider held Smith's hand and took his pulse.
Two drivers pulled up from the opposite direction and said they had seen a truck pulling tanks of anhydrous ammonia. One of the drivers took off after it.
John Lynch of Cumming returned to the scene, was ticketed for unsafe passing and fined $35. Not everyone agrees, but 500 cyclists at the Capitol thought he got off easy.
A week after the accident, it takes Doug Smith forever to move from the hospital bed to the walker to the door.
But at least he's alive and eventually he will recover.
The broken pelvis and fractured skull will heal. The ruptured muscles in his lower back will stop throbbing. The cuts and scabs on his arms, hands and face will disappear.
And Smith, 46, a husband and father from Des Moines, will be back on another bicycle on another country road in a few months.
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"As soon as I can," he said Friday from his room at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center. "But I might look at some other states for training. Maybe pick a place that's more bike-friendly."
Smith, along with the 500 cyclists who rallied at the Statehouse this week in response to his April 11 accident, have their doubts about Iowa.
During the current legislative session, lawmakers considered a bill that would make the roads safer for bikers. They talked about expanded passing and following distances. They looked into other measures that might help people like Smith, but the talk never became action.
What might never mend, Smith worries, is the rift between the motorists and cyclists who share the roads. The relationship is beginning to feel like a holy war on wheels.
The morning Smith was run down by a truck on a two-lane rural road in Madison County, Tim McCoy was riding alongside. McCoy framed the discussion like this:
"How do we get fellow motorists and cyclists to see each at the core of who we are - human beings?"
Smith, a commercial photographer, doesn't have the answer. The Iowa that makes targets out of cyclists, he says, isn't the Iowa he knows.
While Smith lay broken on the highway, the residents from nearby farmhouses brought blankets to keep him warm.
"That's what Iowa is to me," he said. "Not the mentality that says we can use our cars to run over you. I don't know where that mentality comes from. That's the hardest thing for me right now. If I'd been alone, I could have bled to death."
Smith knows he is vulnerable on a bike. He knows he is taking a risk. Last September, Smith had the right-of-way on a green light when a driver turned into him.
"It was pretty minor," he said. "The guy flat-out didn't see me. That was truly an accident. It happens."
On one hand, Smith said, you have the 1 percent who drive around angry. These are the drivers who intimidate and threaten the cyclists - the ones who honk and glare when they pass or slow to a crawl or throw things.
"They do it to mess with you," Smith said. "I kind of wave them by: OK, I get it, you don't like me. I don't understand where the mentality comes from. That's the hardest thing for me right now. We're not confrontational people. We're riding around in our underwear."
Smith's group is more hard-core than most. Some are competitive racers who train more than 20 hours a week.
When he was invited to ride with them, he saw their dedication, skill, discipline and fitness and decided that was the lifestyle for him. Smith isn't at that level yet, but these are people who go on RAGBRAI to take a break from training.
They say the bike trails don't work for them. The trails are filled with mothers and kids and strollers and dogs. To train properly, they need an open expanse. They need the hills and the distances the trails don't offer.
The road to Winterset seemed like the perfect track. Smith doesn't remember much about the accident. When he opened his eyes in the hospital, someone he didn't recognize was holding a cracked bicycle helmet and saying this is what saved you.
That's when it started to come back. He was with a group that left Rasmussen's Bike Shop in West Des Moines at 7 a.m. on April 11 and rode toward Winterset. When they arrived, eight riders headed back to Des Moines.
In an e-mail to friends, McCoy described what happened next. The group was riding two-abreast near the side of the road.
A man in a truck hauling anhydrous ammonia was honking his horn and approaching from behind. Smith was next to McCoy, who was riding close to the white line on the right edge of the road. They were going about 20 miles per hour.
McCoy suddenly felt pressure against the left side of his body and bike. He thought he was about to crash.
"The next moment I heard screaming as the truck raced past us," he wrote. "The force pushed me to the side. ... I looked back, and there was our friend Doug in the middle of the road."
People screamed, cursed, cried and prayed. As they waited for an ambulance, a rider held Smith's hand and took his pulse.
Two drivers pulled up from the opposite direction and said they had seen a truck pulling tanks of anhydrous ammonia. One of the drivers took off after it.
John Lynch of Cumming returned to the scene, was ticketed for unsafe passing and fined $35. Not everyone agrees, but 500 cyclists at the Capitol thought he got off easy.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
RAGBRAI MUST begin to promote Safe Cycling in Iowa
I for one would like to call for a Boycott of RAGBRAI until they put some serious funding into promoting and support safe cycling in Iowa. I will continue my XXXV year Boycott until they do. Please join me and I hope Lance will too!
Sometime you need to follow the money to get the legislators attention.
email TJ at the RAGBRAI head office (tj@ragbrai.org) and let him know you want to see some serious financial support for cycle advocacy in this state out of them. It is long overdue. Paraphrasing myself, it can happen, it should happen, and don't let anyone tell you different. Even TJ.
Tim
Here is a great letter from Lane Anderson to the Madison County Attorney
Ms. Foresyth,
I'm not sure if it's being investigated as an assault with a deadly weapon or not, but, after hearing what happened from the witnesses this was not simply a case of illegal passing. To many times, drivers use their 3000 lb vehicles as weapons to intimidate cyclists. This time, the intimidation turned to assualt and needs to be prosecuted as such.
Drivers who swerve at cyclist or intentionally pass close (sometimes within 6 inches) to intimidate us, are threatening with a deadly weapon.
As cyclists, we know the risk of accidents on the open road, and accept that to ride. However, 1 person put in the ICU or killed by driver assualt is 1 too many.
This person needs to be made an example of. You can not harrass, intimidate, and run down a cyclist because you don't agree with the law or his right to use the roads.
Thank you,
Lane Anderson
Sometime you need to follow the money to get the legislators attention.
email TJ at the RAGBRAI head office (tj@ragbrai.org) and let him know you want to see some serious financial support for cycle advocacy in this state out of them. It is long overdue. Paraphrasing myself, it can happen, it should happen, and don't let anyone tell you different. Even TJ.
Tim
Here is a great letter from Lane Anderson to the Madison County Attorney
Ms. Foresyth,
I'm not sure if it's being investigated as an assault with a deadly weapon or not, but, after hearing what happened from the witnesses this was not simply a case of illegal passing. To many times, drivers use their 3000 lb vehicles as weapons to intimidate cyclists. This time, the intimidation turned to assualt and needs to be prosecuted as such.
Drivers who swerve at cyclist or intentionally pass close (sometimes within 6 inches) to intimidate us, are threatening with a deadly weapon.
As cyclists, we know the risk of accidents on the open road, and accept that to ride. However, 1 person put in the ICU or killed by driver assualt is 1 too many.
This person needs to be made an example of. You can not harrass, intimidate, and run down a cyclist because you don't agree with the law or his right to use the roads.
Thank you,
Lane Anderson
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ride of Silence 2009 - May 20, 7:00 PM
ONE DAY. ONE TIME. WORLD-WIDE.
The events of the last few weeks in the state of Iowa and in the past year in Mason City reinforce the need for bicycle safety and motorist awareness.
On May 20 at 7PM, a group of bicyclists will participate in the nationwide and worldwide Ride of Silence (www.rideofsilence.org) to honor those riders who have been killed or injured by a motorized vehicle while riding on a public roadway. RIDERS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE. There is no registration, no fee, and no T-shirt. This is not a race or a training ride. The MAXIMUM speed will be 12 MPH, and the route will be 6 miles, all within the city limits of Mason City. Riders are to remain SILENT during the ride in order to remember those who have been killed or injured, to raise awareness of the legal right of cyclist to use the roads, to raise motorist awareness of their legal obligation to share the road, and to remind motorists how badly their lives can be affected if they kill or injure a cyclist.
The Ride of Silence was first held in Dallas in 2003, drawing over 1,000 cyclists. It was organized by Chris Phelan to honor his friend, Larry Schwartz, who was killed by the mirror of a passing bus on an empty road. Last year, 7,956 cyclists participated in 50 states and 18 countries at 7PM local time on May 21.
Over 600 cyclists are killed each year while riding, mostly in cities and suburbs. May is National Bike Safety Month. Bicycling is an excellent exercise for people of all abilities and can help with the obesity epidemic, air pollution, and gasoline problems. This local event is endorsed by the North Iowa Touring Club and North Iowa SPIN.
We will meet at Central Park in downtown Mason City. Please wear a black armband to honor and raise awareness. Please wear a red armband if you have been injured by a motorist while on a bike. The only requirement to participate is a bike and a helmet. Please let us know of the name of any local or Iowa cyclist killed while riding, including the hometown, and date and location of death by posting the information on the Bulletin Board of the North Iowa Touring Club web site (www.northiowatouringclub.com). Any questions may be posted there. Check there for updates, also.
We hope to see you on May 20 at 7PM at Central Park.
The events of the last few weeks in the state of Iowa and in the past year in Mason City reinforce the need for bicycle safety and motorist awareness.
On May 20 at 7PM, a group of bicyclists will participate in the nationwide and worldwide Ride of Silence (www.rideofsilence.org) to honor those riders who have been killed or injured by a motorized vehicle while riding on a public roadway. RIDERS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE. There is no registration, no fee, and no T-shirt. This is not a race or a training ride. The MAXIMUM speed will be 12 MPH, and the route will be 6 miles, all within the city limits of Mason City. Riders are to remain SILENT during the ride in order to remember those who have been killed or injured, to raise awareness of the legal right of cyclist to use the roads, to raise motorist awareness of their legal obligation to share the road, and to remind motorists how badly their lives can be affected if they kill or injure a cyclist.
The Ride of Silence was first held in Dallas in 2003, drawing over 1,000 cyclists. It was organized by Chris Phelan to honor his friend, Larry Schwartz, who was killed by the mirror of a passing bus on an empty road. Last year, 7,956 cyclists participated in 50 states and 18 countries at 7PM local time on May 21.
Over 600 cyclists are killed each year while riding, mostly in cities and suburbs. May is National Bike Safety Month. Bicycling is an excellent exercise for people of all abilities and can help with the obesity epidemic, air pollution, and gasoline problems. This local event is endorsed by the North Iowa Touring Club and North Iowa SPIN.
We will meet at Central Park in downtown Mason City. Please wear a black armband to honor and raise awareness. Please wear a red armband if you have been injured by a motorist while on a bike. The only requirement to participate is a bike and a helmet. Please let us know of the name of any local or Iowa cyclist killed while riding, including the hometown, and date and location of death by posting the information on the Bulletin Board of the North Iowa Touring Club web site (www.northiowatouringclub.com). Any questions may be posted there. Check there for updates, also.
We hope to see you on May 20 at 7PM at Central Park.
Cyclists Ride in Protest on Wednesday 4/15
Lead by Ken Sherman, cyclists will ride to the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday, April 15 at 5:30 PM in opposition to the violent crashes and road rage incidents that have occurred this spring. The ride willbegin in the parking lot of Rasmussen's Bike Shop at 301 Grand Ave in West Des Moines.
The ride follows a crash near Winterset, on Saturday, April 11, where the driver of a truck pulling a trailer passed too closely to a group of cyclists, ran over one cyclist with his trailer and left the scene. Cyclists report the motorist was honking constantly as he passed and returned to the scene 30 minutes later. The driver was cited for "unsafe passing".
Another crash this year involved Ken Sherman. Sherman was riding through an intersection in Des Moines when a car failed to yield to the oncoming cyclist and collided with Sherman causing injuries. The Des Moines Police failed to issue any citations following the incident, but determined the motorist to be at fault.
The Iowa Legislature considered clarifying the Iowa Code to specify passing distances and safe following distances for bicyclists. The bill failed to be considered through the funnel date despite passing in the Senate.
Whether or not new laws were enacted, cyclists still have the same rights and duties of the drivers of motor vehicles as specified in the Iowa Code. Incidents where cyclists are injured due to the inattentiveness of motorists are irresponsible and should be cited by police as appropriate. Incidents where cyclists are harassed or intimidated intentionally are violent and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org
If anyone is planning to attend this event, please post a comment, so that transportation can be coordinated.
The ride follows a crash near Winterset, on Saturday, April 11, where the driver of a truck pulling a trailer passed too closely to a group of cyclists, ran over one cyclist with his trailer and left the scene. Cyclists report the motorist was honking constantly as he passed and returned to the scene 30 minutes later. The driver was cited for "unsafe passing".
Another crash this year involved Ken Sherman. Sherman was riding through an intersection in Des Moines when a car failed to yield to the oncoming cyclist and collided with Sherman causing injuries. The Des Moines Police failed to issue any citations following the incident, but determined the motorist to be at fault.
The Iowa Legislature considered clarifying the Iowa Code to specify passing distances and safe following distances for bicyclists. The bill failed to be considered through the funnel date despite passing in the Senate.
Whether or not new laws were enacted, cyclists still have the same rights and duties of the drivers of motor vehicles as specified in the Iowa Code. Incidents where cyclists are injured due to the inattentiveness of motorists are irresponsible and should be cited by police as appropriate. Incidents where cyclists are harassed or intimidated intentionally are violent and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org
If anyone is planning to attend this event, please post a comment, so that transportation can be coordinated.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Doug Smith's Bike Accident
From Tim McCoy
To my cycling friends, friends and family,
Today started out like most Saturdays as the spring finally begins to dawn in Alaska, uh Iowa. We left Rasmussen's Bike Shop at 7am headed toward Winterset. I have cycled on this road twenty to thirty times. There was a group of eight of us who turned around in Winterset. It was a glorious day and an awesome ride. We were making our way back to Des Moines when from behind us a horn started to blow. It got louder and louder and then you could feel something large very close to the group, way to close for anyone's safety. Then, in a split second tragedy struck our group. I was at the front of the group and close to the white line on the right. Our friend Doug Smith was right next to me on my left. We were riding at about twenty miles per hour. The next thing I knew is I felt pressure against the left side of my body and bike. In my mind I said I am going to crash. The next moment I heard screaming as the truck raced past us. The force pushed me to the side of the road but I was still standing and ok. I looked back and there was our friend Doug in the middle of the road. The girls continued to scream now with anger at the truck that literally ran over our friend and kept going. The emotions at moments like this are legion. I started to cry. I started to curse, filled with anger but oddly enough not at the man who did this but at the fact Doug was in the road possibly dying and I was helpless to do a damn thing about it. I prayed dear God please do not let Doug die. I felt grateful, riding out of Winterset I was in Doug's position in the pace line. This could just as easily have been me. I was stunned. i could not believe this was actually happening.
What happened over the next few hours was amazing. Neighbors came out of their homes to assist Doug. Mark, one of our riders whom I do not know very well got on his stomach in the middle of the road and held Doug's hand and felt his pulse. At first he was unconscious, then he awoke not knowing what had just happened to him. I do not know if I could have done what Mark did. It was such a simple act and yet so profoundly powerful at the moment. Doug's beautiful carbon fibre bike lay in three pieces. I stared at it for a few seconds or minutes. I turned and walked up the road away from Doug's body. I then noticed two trucks barreling toward us. Of course they would, they had no idea. I waved my arms to stop them and told them what had happened. One young man described a truck he had passed and asked me if this was the truck. i said yes. The man turned around and caught up to the truck. The man who ran over Doug did come back to the scene probably a half hour later. The delay was good because the anger toward him was huge. I hugged Maria and Keely as they cried. I could not cry at this moment. The Ambulances came. The attendants worked efficiently to stabilize Doug. He was alive! The Ambulance left and there we were, seven people who had our own wounds to deal with.
Trauma needs meaning and significance given to it in order to heal. This made no sense. It had no meaning I could think of. The actions of the farmer, senseless. Surely he did not do this on purpose. Cyclists on the road are incredibly vulnerable. All of us who ride know it. We all have our stories. As I searched for meaning Keely's dad Rick pulled up. John Reed pulled up. Barb Standish pulled up. Spontaneous hugging began taking place everywhere. We were all alive, crying, smiling, hugging, expressing our gratitude for each other and the various roles everyone played to deal with this tragedy. In the midst of our busy lives it came to me. People, relationships, love that is what matters, that is what gave this meaning. A senseless farmer and our friend Doug taught me that this morning.
Everyone went to the hospital immediately except me. I was quiet and on the verge of tears on the way home. Sitting next to Barb reminded me of how short life is and how quickly it can be taken away. I went home and showered. I ate. Then, I sort of woke up and knew I needed to be with my friends. I was scared that one of our friends would not be alive when I arrived. Barb and I walked into the emergency family waiting area to find Doug's family, his wife, his daughter, his dad, his mom, Rick, Keely, Heather, John and the hospital chaplain. "Doug is going to be all right". He has a fractured skull, a broken pelvis, a torn urethra but he will recover. In spite of his injuries I cannot tell you how good it was to know he was alive and would recover! Sally, Doug's wife thanked us all and said if it were not for us Doug might be dead. I hold back the tears as I write this right now. You know, I might be dead if it were not for
all of you. I needed to write this to you all for me. From the bottom of my heart thank you for whatever role you play in my life.
I am so grateful to be alive and to know such wonderful people like you. For those of you who pray please pray for Doug and his family.
Tim
Tim McCoy
Tim@HealthyForLifeU SA.com
Related Opinion: Cycling Update
To my cycling friends, friends and family,
Today started out like most Saturdays as the spring finally begins to dawn in Alaska, uh Iowa. We left Rasmussen's Bike Shop at 7am headed toward Winterset. I have cycled on this road twenty to thirty times. There was a group of eight of us who turned around in Winterset. It was a glorious day and an awesome ride. We were making our way back to Des Moines when from behind us a horn started to blow. It got louder and louder and then you could feel something large very close to the group, way to close for anyone's safety. Then, in a split second tragedy struck our group. I was at the front of the group and close to the white line on the right. Our friend Doug Smith was right next to me on my left. We were riding at about twenty miles per hour. The next thing I knew is I felt pressure against the left side of my body and bike. In my mind I said I am going to crash. The next moment I heard screaming as the truck raced past us. The force pushed me to the side of the road but I was still standing and ok. I looked back and there was our friend Doug in the middle of the road. The girls continued to scream now with anger at the truck that literally ran over our friend and kept going. The emotions at moments like this are legion. I started to cry. I started to curse, filled with anger but oddly enough not at the man who did this but at the fact Doug was in the road possibly dying and I was helpless to do a damn thing about it. I prayed dear God please do not let Doug die. I felt grateful, riding out of Winterset I was in Doug's position in the pace line. This could just as easily have been me. I was stunned. i could not believe this was actually happening.
What happened over the next few hours was amazing. Neighbors came out of their homes to assist Doug. Mark, one of our riders whom I do not know very well got on his stomach in the middle of the road and held Doug's hand and felt his pulse. At first he was unconscious, then he awoke not knowing what had just happened to him. I do not know if I could have done what Mark did. It was such a simple act and yet so profoundly powerful at the moment. Doug's beautiful carbon fibre bike lay in three pieces. I stared at it for a few seconds or minutes. I turned and walked up the road away from Doug's body. I then noticed two trucks barreling toward us. Of course they would, they had no idea. I waved my arms to stop them and told them what had happened. One young man described a truck he had passed and asked me if this was the truck. i said yes. The man turned around and caught up to the truck. The man who ran over Doug did come back to the scene probably a half hour later. The delay was good because the anger toward him was huge. I hugged Maria and Keely as they cried. I could not cry at this moment. The Ambulances came. The attendants worked efficiently to stabilize Doug. He was alive! The Ambulance left and there we were, seven people who had our own wounds to deal with.
Trauma needs meaning and significance given to it in order to heal. This made no sense. It had no meaning I could think of. The actions of the farmer, senseless. Surely he did not do this on purpose. Cyclists on the road are incredibly vulnerable. All of us who ride know it. We all have our stories. As I searched for meaning Keely's dad Rick pulled up. John Reed pulled up. Barb Standish pulled up. Spontaneous hugging began taking place everywhere. We were all alive, crying, smiling, hugging, expressing our gratitude for each other and the various roles everyone played to deal with this tragedy. In the midst of our busy lives it came to me. People, relationships, love that is what matters, that is what gave this meaning. A senseless farmer and our friend Doug taught me that this morning.
Everyone went to the hospital immediately except me. I was quiet and on the verge of tears on the way home. Sitting next to Barb reminded me of how short life is and how quickly it can be taken away. I went home and showered. I ate. Then, I sort of woke up and knew I needed to be with my friends. I was scared that one of our friends would not be alive when I arrived. Barb and I walked into the emergency family waiting area to find Doug's family, his wife, his daughter, his dad, his mom, Rick, Keely, Heather, John and the hospital chaplain. "Doug is going to be all right". He has a fractured skull, a broken pelvis, a torn urethra but he will recover. In spite of his injuries I cannot tell you how good it was to know he was alive and would recover! Sally, Doug's wife thanked us all and said if it were not for us Doug might be dead. I hold back the tears as I write this right now. You know, I might be dead if it were not for
all of you. I needed to write this to you all for me. From the bottom of my heart thank you for whatever role you play in my life.
I am so grateful to be alive and to know such wonderful people like you. For those of you who pray please pray for Doug and his family.
Tim
Tim McCoy
Tim@HealthyForLifeU SA.com
Related Opinion: Cycling Update
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesay Night Rides for A+ Group
The A+ ride will leave the Clear Lake seawall at 5:30pm due to work schedules of several of the NISpin participants.
Wednesday April 1, 2009
Title: NITC Wednesday Night Training Ride
Time: 5:00 PM
End Time:
Notes: Meet at the Sea Wall in downtown Clear Lake, weather permitting. This ride is rated A + and C (see ride key). Other groups (rated A & B) may be formed depending on how many riders we have. Some of us will ride (Type C ride) approximately 15 miles around Clear Lake. The more ambitious (Type A+ ride) will ride 25+ miles. The route for each group will be determined before we leave the sea wall each time. Contact Steve Futrell at 641-357-2665 or sfutrell@netins.net
Ride Key
Wednesday April 1, 2009
Title: NITC Wednesday Night Training Ride
Time: 5:00 PM
End Time:
Notes: Meet at the Sea Wall in downtown Clear Lake, weather permitting. This ride is rated A + and C (see ride key). Other groups (rated A & B) may be formed depending on how many riders we have. Some of us will ride (Type C ride) approximately 15 miles around Clear Lake. The more ambitious (Type A+ ride) will ride 25+ miles. The route for each group will be determined before we leave the sea wall each time. Contact Steve Futrell at 641-357-2665 or sfutrell@netins.net
Ride Key
Monday, April 6, 2009
April Race Schedule
April Race Schedule
7th Night At The Oval, Cedar Rapids
16th Elkhart Time Trail, Elkhart
18th Bonebender 3/6 Hour Mtn Bike Race, Smithville, Missouri
18th -19th Tour of Hermann Stage Race, Hermann, Missouri
19th Eagle Point Criterium, Galena, Ill
19th Sylvan Island Stamped, Moline, Ill IMBCS #1
21st Night At The Oval, Cedar Rapids
23rd Race Like A Girl, Union Park, Des Moines
25th Iowa City Road Race, Iowa City
25th God's Country Fat Tire Duathlon, Lawrence, Kansas
26th Old Capital Criterium, Iowa City
26th Decorah Time Trial, MTB Race, Decorah
30th Waterworks Omnium, Des Moines
Race Schedules: CyclingUpdate or BikeIowa
7th Night At The Oval, Cedar Rapids
16th Elkhart Time Trail, Elkhart
18th Bonebender 3/6 Hour Mtn Bike Race, Smithville, Missouri
18th -19th Tour of Hermann Stage Race, Hermann, Missouri
19th Eagle Point Criterium, Galena, Ill
19th Sylvan Island Stamped, Moline, Ill IMBCS #1
21st Night At The Oval, Cedar Rapids
23rd Race Like A Girl, Union Park, Des Moines
25th Iowa City Road Race, Iowa City
25th God's Country Fat Tire Duathlon, Lawrence, Kansas
26th Old Capital Criterium, Iowa City
26th Decorah Time Trial, MTB Race, Decorah
30th Waterworks Omnium, Des Moines
Race Schedules: CyclingUpdate or BikeIowa
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