Dr. David LaVelle, an orthopedic surgeon with Campbell Clinic, sent in this report after completing his seventh 100-mile mile. LaVelle, of Memphis, took seven hours and 17 minutes to complete the 3-State, 3-Mountain Challenge on May 3. His cousin Mike Tomlinson traveled from Florida to Chattanooga for the event. The two men took a break at the 1,600-foot summit of Sand Mountain for this photo. Tomlinson is on the left and LaVell on the right.
Here is his report:
“The storm which caused so much damage and pain in the Mid-South Friday night went through Chattanooga on Saturday morning. Mike, my older cousin and riding partner for the 3-State, 3- Mountain Challenge, and I watched the Weather Channel Late into Friday night. Saturday morning we got up early, got our gear together and rode a little over
a mile to the University Tennessee, Chattangooa stadium where the ride was to take off at 8 a.m.
“The sky was very threatening and about the time we got to the stadium the thunderstorm began. We took shelter in a pavilion next to the stadium for about an hour and then the ride began.
“The ride organizers must have had their eye on the radar because just as the
last of the thunder had passed, they let us leave to begin the ride.
“It rained for the first 25 miles of the ride and then gradually cleared. It remained cloudy until the last 20 or so miles.
“One may ride safely in the rain but it is much less fun. Just like driving a car, it takes longer to break, and the wheels can slip out from under you, so you must go slower on the same roads than when the roads are dry. The rain gets on your glasses and when riding behind someone else to let them cut the wind in front of you (drafting) the water on the road sprays directly into your face. The end result is that my goal of doing the ride in less than 6 hours was doomed from the start. At that point the goal was to finish the ride upright.
“My time was 7:26. Last year I did it in 6:45.
“Mike lives in Tampa, Florida, where cyclists consider interstate over-passes hills to be conquered. He is 60 years old and he got on the cycling kick about the same time I did in 2006. Last year when we did the 3-State, 3-Mountain Challenge, he had to walk up the last section of the last mountain (Burkhalter gap on Lookout mountain). Luckily, I’d been able to train on the hills in Shelby Forest and while much lower and shorter, if you ride them repeatedly, you get the training you need to conquer the 1800 feet it is to make the last climb. So last year I didn’t have to walk. Even though I’m 5 years younger than Mike, this has been on his mind for the last year. I made it up the two and a half miles of the climb and he didn’t. So this year he emphasized something called interval training and work on this all year. And it paid off. He was able to make the climb.
“I almost gave up. It was much hotter after the rain cleared out. My current bike has fewer lower gears. I had not been able to train as much this year as last year.
“The reason I didn’t give up? I really don’t know, except that it is not in my makeup. I was panting and thought I’d get sick. But it passed. Then I recalled something my son, the wrestler, had on one of his tee shirts: “Pain is Temporary but Pride and Accomplishment are Forever.” Funny how cheesy things might stick in your head.
“On the way into Chattanooga, we passed an accident where a bike rider went down. The ambulance was there picking him up. I have no idea who he was or how he was hurt. A car may have been involved, he may have had equipment failure or just missed a turn. It was a sober reminder that cycling is a dangerous sport. It makes you want to be extra careful, but every human activity carries risk. While working at The MED off and on over the last 20 years, I have seen people hurt every way imaginable. Of course I’ve seen cyclists but many more car and motorcycle victims. I’ve taken care of people hurt from falling out of trees, off mountains, ladders and out of bed or from slipping on ice, wet leaves and gum balls. So for me, it’s like another corny but true quote, this one from “Braveheart”: “All men die, but not all men really live.”
“I tried living a safe, secure life from a couch and it nearly killed me. Now I feel like I’m really living.”
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September 1st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Dear Anthony,
Thank you for keeping the bicycling issue in the news. I agree that cyclists and motorists have a responsibility when sharing the road; however I am curious where you got the statistic that more than 70 percent of bike-car collisions result from unsafe bicycle riding. I wonder if this was the officials’ opinion. To many people, biking in Memphis is an unsafe act period. They feel that the roads are for cars and that if a bike is trying to share, then they are taking an unsafe chance. They may be right, but I hope for the value of our city that this will change.
On July 3rd my husband, Danny Fadgen, and I were riding at 4:45 am down Germantown Pkwy, realizing that traffic is very scarce at this time. We had bright red flashing tail lights, bright white front lights, reflective gear, helmets with rear mirrors and we were riding on the shoulder of a very well-light section when a motorist veered off the road and struck my husband from behind. Probably the most disturbing part of this is that the motorist then slowly steered around my husband and eased on down the road without stopping. Danny was seriously hurt and I administered emergency care, called 911, and reported the incident to the officials. We were taken to The Med for emergency treatment. Apparently, sometime after the incident the motorist returned and was issued a ticket. Again, no drug or alcohol testing was performed and no arrests were made. I was told there were no grounds for taking these actions.
The ticketing officer apparently unclear on the law, initially wrote the ticket for not maintaining a safe outlook (a city charge) and the prosecutor changed the charge to the maintaining a 3 foot passage while passing a bicyclist (a state charge) at the mandatory court appearance.
I agree that motorists and bicyclist have a responsibility. I am a motorist who is shocked at the way many of my fellow motorist drive. Many are aggressive or talking on their cell phones, in hurry and simply not paying attention.
But I am a cyclist who is also shocked at the lack of safety precautions of many. I see parents riding with their children while making the children wear helmets, not setting the example themselves. I’ve seen bikers riding side by side in groups of 2’s, 3’s and more on busy or narrow streets. I’ve seen the disregard for road laws.
We do need education, for the motorists, bicyclists, police officers and citizens. Instead of a course on sharing the road after an accident, maybe we need to include the course on license renewal. Awareness is the problem! We also need more bike-safe routes, lanes and areas to commute and ride. I would love to ride without the fear of cars.
Again, thank you for keeping the issue in the news, if nothing else, Danny and I feel that some good has come from his accident. We do not feel it is of value to make this a bicyclist vs. motorist issue. Instead of pointing blame, we’d like to see everyone working together to solve a growing problem in our community.
Thanks!
Jane Fadgen