Pop had always enjoyed travelling under his own power. At the age of 77, he would bicycle a lap around St. Louis' Forest Park 3 times a week in any moderately tolerable weather. I'd shared this 10 mile ride with him occasionally for the last few years, including the Monday before his final Friday ride. At my mere 44 years, it was an effort for me to keep up with him on these rides; he was in good shape!
On the final Friday, September 16th, 2005, he rode alone. His preferred route through Forest Park took him along the trails through the center of the park. He sought to ride the steepest hills. One of the moderate descents that still allowed him to reach his peak speed was by the Municipal Opera House parking lot.
I suspect that he was eagerly watching his speedometer rather than the path ahead when he reached the bottom of the hill, with its usual turn to the left and an unexpected patch of mud.
He was spotted lying in this somewhat remote spot by a park worker within a few minutes of his fall. The ambulance arrived from nearby Barnes Hospital before even the park police.
He'd hit his head so hard that, even in the helmet his brain bounced inside his skull: Subdural haematoma is the technical phrase.
In the long run, this is what did him in. Brain damage. His body held out for 5 more months. At times, it seemed as though he might recover. We even got him a little pedaller, so that he could sit and pedal in the hospitals. But he never got a chance to ride, again.
