A year to reflect on the life of our friend, uncle and father,
has inspired the continuation of the adventure that was started
last year and terminated so suddenly.
A year to reflect on the life of our friend, uncle and father, has inspired the continuation of the adventure that was started last year and terminated so suddenly.
As many of you are aware, Mike Mathiasen and myself began our second “Cross the USA” biking adventure last year. After being postponed because of Bill’s erratic heart rhythms that resulted in an implant of a defibrillator, the trip got under way on June 29, 2005.
With no vehicle support, the adventure took on a “backwards going” approach. While one would start pedaling in the morning, the other would drive the car to the day’s stop point and then commence to ride the route back to the start point. When the forward going cyclist reached the auto, then he would drive back to the original start point to retrieve the backward individual and then the two would drive back to the days ending location so that the whole process would be started anew the following morning.
Because we could carry all the gear in the car, this allowed us to travel light on the bike and also ultimately transport the vehicle to our drop-off point. The ride progressed smoothly but not without effort as we traveled across the Oregon Coastal range, a mere test of what was yet to come. The Cascades in Oregon, the Blue Mountains in Washington, the Bitterroots in Idaho and finally the Rockies in Montana still loomed ahead of us. Because I was still trying to get in shape, it was decided that on July 4, I would ride up the highway 25 miles or so, while Mike drove to the top of the mountain to investigate the route ahead and strategically place water so that we could refresh our supply on what was forecasted to be a 90-degree day.
We returned to the home of friends in the area, Jim and Jo Anne Brandt, in the evening for our carbo-loading meal and a nice bed to sleep in. The following morning, Mike departed by bike while Jim drove me up the road to his start point. By the time I got on the pedals, I was only 10 miles ahead of Mike. I rode slowly but steadily and felt fantastic when I crested the summit – 5,000 feet – early in the afternoon. I parked the bike and waited for my friend of 39 years.
Mike never made it.
While climbing the hardest grade of the day Mike simply fell over while still on the bike. Mike then suffered a heart attack.
In the end, Mike died the way he lived life – full throttle and enjoying it. He had a large and very positive impact on our lives and has been sorely missed. It is to this positive impact that the trip continues. Almost immediately after Mike’s death, his son Will stated that he wanted to finish the ride as a tribute to his father, a suggestion that I greeted enthusiastically.
The plans have been altered here and there, but ultimately it has been decided to start the trip from the original beginning location, Point Blanco, Ore., and end in Quoddy Head, Maine as the original trip had planned. Will set the start date as June 18, 2006. Very appropriately, it is Father’s Day.
Friends Adrian Villapando and Mark Buggy from Tucson, Ariz., who were with Mike and myself in 2001 on our last cross-country adventure from Huntington Beach, Calif. to Tybee Island, Ga., couldn’t wait to sign on to the trek in memory of our fallen friend. Mike’s nephew, Jed Duerr of Morgan Hill, also agreed that it would be a great tribute to his uncle and has also signed on to the adventure. So there will be five cyclists, with some folks joining us at different points along the way for a few days of exercise.
Mike’s wife, Kathy, along with our Web mistress and Mike’s niece, Abby Duerr, will transport myself, Will and Jed to Cape Blanco and carry the gear for us to the top of the mountain that Mike never crested.
Mike had a goal for the last ride and that was to raise money for cancer research, an ambition that we are going to continue on this ride. Mike’s wife, Kathy was stricken with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but through the advances of treatment and the administration of trial drugs, is currently in total remission. This is a disease that is ruthless and the diagnosis is that it will eventually attack again. It is to this cause that we once again ask for your support. There are many others that have been affronted by this cancer in one form or another and it is a fight that is being won by dollars. Some of you out there contributed last year and it was greatly appreciated. We invite you to do the same this year. We are hoping that contributions can be made to either The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the American Cancer Society. You can mail them direct to the above organizations (see the links on our Web site, or mail them to us at: Biking Vikings 909 Marina Village Parkway, PMB 376, Alameda, CA 94501
We will make sure that they are dispersed to the proper organization upon our return.
Whether you donate or not, everyone is heartily invited to join our adventure by clicking on www.bikingvikingsforacure.com.
Tell your friends and family members and be sure to drop us a line. It always buoys the spirits to hear from family and friends after a hard day on the road.
Submitted by Bill Pritchard on behalf of the the Biking Vikings minus one including Adrian Villapando, Jed Duerr, Mark Buggy and Will Mathiasen, in memory of Mike
