'Another day in paradise' RAGBRAI riders honor the late Dr. Bob Breedlove

Thu August 04 2005
Posted Aug 4, 2005
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Ride honoring cyclist Breedlove is just that By RAGBRAI riders honor the late Dr. Bob Breedlove'>MEGAN HAWKINS REGISTER STAFF WRITER July 28, 2005 Northwood, Ia. — The crowd of bikers was speckled with orange as it wound through northern Iowa Wednesday, in honor of the late Bob Breedlove, Des Moines surgeon and ultramarathon bicyclist. After storms and wind, heat and rain, the day was cool and perfect for biking —exactly the type Breedlove would have cherished, his friends and family said. "Another day in paradise, that's what he would have said," said John Gooding of Des Moines, a longtime friend who used to ride across the country with Breedlove. Breedlove died June 23 while participating in the Race Across America. He quoted the T-shirt he and dozens of others wore, with one of Breedlove's favorite sayings printed on it and a cartoon drawn by friend and Des Moines Register cartoonist Brian Duffy. Gooding also wore a pair of Breedlove's old bicycle gloves. Breedlove's twin brother, Bill, on Wednesday wore the pair Breedlove was wearing the day he was hit by a car in Colorado. "He'd call up at night and say, ‘It's been another day in paradise,’ ’’ Gooding recalled, stopping for a break in Thompson during the ride from Algona to Northwood. "Bicycling was his life, and I'm serious. He loved to ride." Wednesday evening, Breedlove's life was marked in Northwood with a proclamation from Gov. Tom Vilsack and a display of his life achievements, including world-record race times, old jerseys and photos of the beaming surgeon. First lady Christie Vilsack read aloud the proclamation from her husband, encouraging everyone to wear orange and offer an extra smile to celebrate Breedlove's life. Vilsack herself is riding RAGBRAI for the fifth year, in part to honor her older brother who died in 1996 from heart irregularities while on a bike ride. "I know how it feels to have someone with experience on the road go out," she said before the ceremony, her words trailing off. Also on display was a banner covering a brick wall that people could sign for the Breedlove family. Team Phobia wrote, "We're afraid to go on without you!" and another scrawl said simply, "Godspeed." By the end of the day, riders who came to Iowa from around the world had heard of Breedlove. Until the ceremony, though, the day for most was simply a welcome break from the chaos of midnight storms and changing weather earlier this week. "People feel a little beat up with the storm, fireworks at midnight the first night,’’ said Terry Braun of Iowa City, who is riding his third RAGBRAI. "It's been something every day this year. I think this is our day off.’’ Mechanics along the route said they're still seeing the effects of the rain and are helping riders lube their chains after rain rinsed many bikes' lubricant away. But longtime riders especially were handling the weather just fine. Edward Gelles, 66, of Knoxville has ridden his 1941 Schwinn in RAGBRAI for the past 19 years and is still going strong with a sign on the back of his bike reading "Gears R 4 Wimps." He waited patiently in line to have his photo taken by a Crystal Lake monument that claims to be the largest bullhead in the world. "The very first year we came through here and I got that picture taken,’’ Gelles said, smiling. "I'm going to do it again.’’ For others, such as Bob Breedlove's twin brother, Bill, and Bill's wife, LaJean, Wednesday was the first year, and first day, ever riding RAGBRAI. The couple and a handful of friends rode to honor Breedlove and said every turn reminded them of something he'd done in the past during their years serving as a crew for the avid biker. Unwrapping the last muffin at breakneck speeds, then dropping it. Jokingly supplying food and water for his crew, who sometimes needed it more than he did. Traveling long routes together and competing to claim the best bed . . . all are memories his loyal family and friends will hold for years to come. And they heard more on the ride. "The nicest part is hearing stories from other people who rode with him," Bill Breedlove said. "I'm going to leave with something I never had. "This is something we talked about doing for years. Now I wish we would've." Others on the ride said they also would have liked to have known Breedlove, known for riding the weeklong RAGBRAI route in a single day. "I would've liked to get tips on how he did what he did," said Kevin Skellenger, a rider from West Des Moines. "He rode such distances and did not tire out. He was incredible." Skellenger and many others noted that the week has been an emotional one for avid bicyclists, starting with Lance Armstrong's seventh — and, he said, last — victory at the Tour de France, and then moving on at midweek to honor the Iowa hero. "This week has been a very difficult one," Skellenger said. "A lot of emotional impact."