What a Week...

A couple weeks ago we traveled to Iowa for the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.  RAGBRAI is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state.  It is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world, celebating it's 40th year this summer. Des Moines Register Media has been the title sponsor of RAGBRAI since 1973. 

The route changes every year.  This year the route began in Sioux Center and ended in Clinton.

Route Map source RAGBRAI.com

My husband  has participated in RAGBRAI for the last 15 consecutive years.  He rides with Team Spare Tire, a group of friends from Iowa.  My son has participated for the last 6 years.  I stay with friends and have a week of sewing, shopping, eating and chatting... but these details are worthy of another post.

This year some 15,000 (yes... fifteen thousand) riders participated in RAGBRAI.



Mary Chind/The Des Moines Register

And isn't this picture great with the barn quilt in the background.



Justin Hayworth/The Des Moines Register

 This year the ride went past the farm where my husband grew up in Aurelia, IA.



Christopher Gannon/The Des Moines Register

On Wednesday, on the fourth day of the ride, in 100+ degree heat, with strong headwinds, while drafting with his team members, my husband had a terrible crash.  His tire met the tire of a team member ahead of him and he went down... hard.  I received a call that he was okay but going by ambulance to Marshalltown.  Thankfully Jess, the sole female on the team, rode along. 

I was in Coralville, about an hour and forty minutes away.  I hurried off to Marshalltown, not too worried... afterall, they said he was okay.  I entered the ER, it was overrun people clad in biking wear.  Most were sufferring from dehydration, in fact Jess's husband Josh was there receiving IV fluids.  I  found Brad in room 10 with six ribs with multiple fractures, a shattered collar bone, and a punctured lung.  Poor guy, he had a similar accident in September of 2009.  He had to stay in the hospital for two and a half days due to the punctured lung.  He had a very hard time breathing.

As bad as it is, he is very lucky.  He landed on his head and shoulder on his left side.  His helmet  
has 6 cracks on the inside, proving it did it's job. 

We traveled 6 hours from Iowa home to Indiana.  The husb never complained.  He contacted the doctor that helped him after his last accident and now has a catheter placed in his back, to the left of his spine that works like a sprinkler hose delivering a novacaine like product to the rib area.  He wears a sling to protect his collarbone. We have a lovely hospital bed in our bedroom.   Now it is a waiting game.  Everything has to heal on it's own.

Today, not quite two weeks later, he is attempting a short day at work.  Up until this weekend he did not drive.  We went out yesterday and bought a new helmet.  He is ever the optimist.  After 26 years of marriage you'd think some of that would rub off on me.