Roadside memorial grows where bicycle rider died in NW Iowa

Bret Hayworth
Fri November 22 2019
Posted Dec 9, 2019
1,498

The memorial placed on a lightly traveled road leading to Pierson, Iowa, in Woodbury County is growing.

About two hours, and 30 miles, into an organized ride where some bicyclists were trying to traverse Iowa in one day, Kent Harfst, of Webster City, was struck and killed less than a mile west of Pierson. The vehicle-versus-bicycle collision took place at roughly 6:35 a.m. Sept. 28, before sunrise.

Authorities said a van driven by Aaron Joshua Albert, of Mondamin, Iowa, was heading eastbound on county road D12 near the top of a hill and struck Harfst, as he cycled near others.

Harfst was a good friend of mine, and he was a repeat participant on the Ride Across Iowa in a Day (RAID) bicycle event, the 330-miler that runs from Sioux City to Dubuque. Harfst was planning to do half of the ride, finishing at Webster City, where he lived, as he had done in 2017 under cold and rainy conditions on the same route of roads.

But he never made that, after landing in the south ditch with critical injuries. Harfst's twin brother Kyle, who lives in Illinois, visited the spot two days later to take in the lay of the land. He also began a memorial, which by late October was substantially expanded.