Exhausted Rider or Idiot Kid?

Today I’m thinking about Bob Breedlove’s death during the 2005 RAAM. I heard about it a while ago, but recently read the full account by Outside Magazine.

I, like most others, heard the news and figured it was a tragic accident. Shit happens - no matter how safe you ride, there’s always that chance of getting hit by a motorist. You hate to see it, but you know it happens.

What you probably didn’t know is how odd the full story of this accident actually is. It involves an ultracyclist, a kid driving a pickup truck, and a lot of holes. (Holes in the story… not potholes…)

Supposedly Breedlove, tired from 5 days of riding, fell asleep while riding and drifted across the road into the path of an oncoming truck. It sounds entirely possible - until you read the details.

For example, the details about Breedlove’s normal riding habits, his chats with the support crew, and the long nap he took earlier that day. The details about the 15 year old kid (who some would refer to as murderer) also factor in… perhaps that he didn’t have a driver’s license and that he had rolled a car off that same highway just seven months before this incident…

Factor in the defensive father, careless cops, and fake witnesses, and you have a pretty good story. But is it enough for Breedlove’s family?

Read the story to find out.