Jack Toland's Story

Wednesday, November 25th 2009 was a little bit foggy, but surely a nice enough day to meet some riding buddies to take a four hour “leg loosener”, pre-Thanksgiving day ride, ride.

Once in a while, you hit one of those days where you feel really good on the bike. So good, you wonder when does it get better than this? I could only think the better had to be feeling like this at a race.

So good, you roll along as though there is no chain on the bike. No resistance. Energy flowing freely, seemingly no end to its supply. Oh yeah, wish I could show up somewhere with those legs when it mattered.

I'm unemployed for six months by now, no health insurance, but sporting pretty good legs.

My life was soon to change dramatically, in the most unlucky, incoherent way. I say this because I have made a nice cycling career of not crashing my bike over nearly forty years. I was fortunate, attentive, and considered myself a little bit clever, as I recollect some close ones, yeah?

Devil may care attitude, loving my bike, my legs, my companions; I was totally swept away by nothing but good and familiar sensations with a cherry on top. What a LIFE!

As we unexpectedly changed rhythm, the devil had his day and I fell heavily to the tarmac. I hooked my front wheel onto the rear wheel of the rider in front of me as he extricated himself from the same situation with the rider in front of him.

Michael went right to get away, his rear wheel took my front wheel out from under me and I went femur and elbow first to the tarmac. Blunt force trauma. Fractured femur and elbow.

I would love to have seen stars but I saw a life puzzle missing some important pieces.

I remember looking across the road and thinking to myself, dude, you are so totally in it now. No job, no health insurance, and you are spread out across Willamette Falls Drive on your way to the closest trauma center, in the back of an ambulance.

The comfort of my friends was immediate as they remained circled to see me into the ambulance.

The next few days, a steady stream of faces comes to be the trend of faces I would be seeing a lot of for the next few months.

These are MY friends.

Amici di Giacomo

These are Jack’s own words. As tragic as Jack’s story may be, we’ve probably all heard several stories like it. That is why a group of friends and members of the cycling community have come together to form “Friends of Jack.”

The mission of this group is to provide financial support for medical expenses to injured cyclists that find themselves in need.

We all know how precious and fragile life can be and how quickly it can change. One day you are on your bike and totally in control. The next moment, you are recovering from serious injuries and wondering how you are going to make ends meet. It can happen to any of us. That is why it is incumbent upon those of us with the means to help our cycling friends that may have come into difficult times.