You might remember a short mention in Biking Bis back in February about a group of nearly two dozen women who were setting out for a cross-country bicycle tour in March.
One of the cyclists, Laraine Lagattolla, was struck by a car and killed instantly in Cleveland, Texas, as she bicycled to her hotel. The driver of the SUV making a right turn apparently did not see Lagattolla riding at the side of the road.
The day before the accident, several of the women talked to a reporter for the Novasota Examiner:
“The risk factor can't be overstated. Day to day, they face danger in many different forms, from bad weather, to flat tires, to crazed dogs, to reckless drivers, to continuous downhill curves across the Continental Divide. Some of the stories makes one long to go home to the comfort of a cool house and warm bed.”
The women, all aged 50 or older, faced the biggest challenge of their tour. Disband or continue.
At the blog that serves as their bike journal — Bike USA: Road-2-Health — the writer explains their decision:
All of the options were considered and explored. In the end, we decided that to end the trip here – or even to stay off the bikes for a single day – would be to give victory to the fear that had so haunted Laraine. We refused to adopt that fear. We would ride.
The blogger, Barbara Jarmoska of Pennsylvania, wrote a moving memorial to Lagattolla, 58, a retired emergency room physician from South Glastonbury, Connecticut. She had conquered many of her fears during the bike tour that started in California.
WomanTours is handling the arrangements for the bike tour. Many of the participants have chosen to raise funds for different causes through the course of their bike trip across the southern tier of states. Jarmoska, for instance, is raising funds for Breast Cancer Action, based in San Francisco.
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