Disaster! Second biker down.
It rained on us last night, but the skies were clear and temps finally getting in the upper 60s. I rode with five and then seven guys who decided it was a race day. It was fun riding fast. Passau is a beautiful university city on the Austrian border. It has the distinction of having the world’s largest organ in St Stephens Cathedral. These churches never end and each seems to outdo the others. This is also a port for river cruises, so the docks were full of luxury boats and tour busses.
Today we passed Neil, our 80 year old biker form Eugene, Oregon, who had been driven out 50 km to ride in by himself. We passed him at about the 80 km point and waved as he waived back. Later we learned that he had somehow hit a farm trailer and been run over. There were no witnesses other than the German farmer, who summoned an ambulance and the police. Poor Neil, who had biked around the world in 2000, has broken hip and internal injuries. He was to be sedated for several days and had to remain hospitalized for a month. The plan was for a family member to come to Germany and fly home with him when he is ready. I really feel sorry for him…an 80 year old in a German hospital with no friends or family. I had to take pause and count my blessings.
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