A Japanese bicyclist traveling around the world to draw attention to his home country's neglected bamboo forests is recovering from a mild concussion after he was struck by a car.
Takashi Matsumoto was riding his fully loaded bamboo bicycle near Goreville, Illinois, Friday morning when he was struck from behind by a motorist driving an SUV.
Matsumoto, 33, was knocked into a ditch and suffered a concussion. He's at Heartland Medical Center in Marion, Illinois. No charges were filed, pending investigation.
Samurai
Calling himself the Bamboo Samurai, Matsumoto is a business school student in Japan. He began his 5,000-plus mile around the world journey in September to raise awareness about the use of bamboo products. He plans to launch a bamboo products business in Japan when he returns.
Before leaving, Matsumoto visited craftsmen to learn about the products that can be made from native bamboo. When he arrived in the US, he visited Bamboosero Bamboo Bikes in Santa Cruz, where he picked up his bamboo bicycle and started his journey.
US tour
From browsing his blog, Bamboo Bike Trip, it looks like he took Adventure Cycling's Western Flyer Express from the Bay Area to Colorado, where he picked up the TransAmerica Bicycle Route.
He writes about the friendly folks who have helped him find his way. He also has posted lots of pictures of his American cuisine meals. Most recently, he wrote about staying in bike hostels in Farmington and Chester, both on the TransAmerica Route.
Future of tour (updated)
Matsumoto writes at his blog that it's too soon to tell if and when he can continue his journey. He says his bamboo bicycle is broken, his left knee is injured, and the right side of his face is in pain. He doesn't remember the collision; the first thing he recalls is laying in a hospital bed.
Positive about his future and unwilling to let adversity get him down, Matsumoto writes:
“Even if I will not be able to continue this trip this time, I will sure to come back on the road again with bamboo bike.”
Let's hope that he can make a quick and full recovery and return to his around the world travels.
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