Eric B.: a busted tire, closing in anyway

YAKIMA, Wash. — Even after a couple of days of struggling with mechanical issues (and out of communication for most of that time), Eric Bruntjen is still competing in the Tour Divide. Not just riding. Competing.

He spent several hours in Grants Pass dealing with a tire issue that made it all but impossible to ride. He called his buddy and logistical aide Frank Hieber in a telephone call, was “sliced open.” It was really too bad, because Eric had that morning caught up with a couple of the five or six riders he had been gaining on for several days, which you know if you’ve been following the Tour Divide leaderboard.

We got a call-in this morning from Eric Bruntjen, which I’ll be posting below, but first I want to pass on something you might enjoy seeing — a photograph or two (if a technically challenged blogger such as myself can manage it when there are no IT guys around) — taken of Eric by an Albuquerque gentleman named Gordon Stalgren. Gordon, who had also been following Eric’s race progress online, drove over from Albuquerque to Grants, hoping to be able to say hello and perhaps raise Eric’s spirits a bit. The photos were sent to me by Gordon’s son, Glenn, an old college buddy of Eric’s who has been following Eric’s adventures both on the Tour Divide site and on this blog.

Thanks to Gordon Stalgren and especially to Glenn, because I’m sure people who have been following Eric’s trials and tribulations will be glad to know he can still smile. I’ll pass along some insights from Glenn below, but for now, without further adieu, here’s what he had to say (listen) when he stopped long enough in Silver City, N.M., to give us a call.

Hey, Eric Bruntjen calling in from Silver City.

A couple of real quick technical things. First of all, I know my brother’s following the race on the blog, so I want to wish him a happy birthday and I hope he gets better. You shouldn’t be riding those Jet Skis, Warner, you should be doing something safe like riding the Tour Divide with your little brother. [EDITOR'S NOTE No. 1: It sounds like Warner on the message, but if I heard it wrong and have the name wrong, sorry, oops.]

The other thing is, it occurred to me riding in the desert the other night that I hope I didn’t break the rules in Kremmling by accepting a ride in a car, borrowing that guy’s car. I talked to some other racers, they said no, that

was OK because I was off-route. Kremmling’s a couple miles off-route, and my bag was in the kind of dirt below the chipper plant there. But that’s on the other side of the river from where the route takes off, so … I think I’m good. But if anyone out there wants to check the Web site, read the rules and put my heart at ease, that’d be great. [EDITOR'S NOTE No. 2: If you haven't been following along over the past three weeks, don't worry, Eric wasn't cheating and using the car to get further along the course. He was backtracking on distance he had already ridden, to find a rucksack that included his tent and sleeping bag and had fallen from his bike (thanks to a broken clip) as he rode in a driving rainstorm.]

Other than that, I limped into Silver City with a busted front wheel. Just about everything bad that can happen to a tire and a wheel happened at the Wal-Mart in Grants. But I’ve got some tape on it and I’m limping to the bike shop to get a new wheel right now.

Spent the night last night up in the mountains with a Tour Divide fan named Kevin who drove from Tucson to come see the racers. And there were three other racers that I’ve been chasing since pretty much since Montana and Wyoming, were in that campground with Kevin. Pulled in there real late last night, came off the ridge chased by a lightning storm. Pretty wild ride down into the dark canyon. But everything turned out OK. Anyways, this thing’s not over until it’s over, but I got about 125 miles to go, I’m hoping to do it today, and finishing up.

I think I’m good on everything. I’m not eating as much, but that’s a good thing, and my next call will be from Antelope Wells. Bye.

If he finishes tonight as he believes he will, Eric will have finished this 2,780-mile beast of a mountain bike race in 22 days — three days faster than he’d hoped and a good week faster than I’d believed he could do it. Very impressive for a 6-foot-6, 225-pound, 38-year-old man.

But what I have learned over these three weeks, both from listening to Eric’s regular updates and from hearing from his friends, is that Eric is no ordinary guy. For one thing, not many other people I know would decide to take on such a profoundly physical and time-consuming challenge in order to raise money to buy an all-terrain wheelchair for a local veteran he had only read about in the newspaper.

Glenn Stalgren told me that Eric — who Glenn calls Brunch, a shorthand version of Eric’s last name — had asked him to do this Tour Divide race with him. Glenn, who has a 1-year-old son at home, didn’t think he could be away from home that long. “Of course, similar circumstances didn’t stop him,” Glenn wrote. Glenn also added a couple of little tales from their past history that should help give people yet more insight into how unstoppable a force Eric Bruntjen is. These are Glenn’s words:

In 1997 we rode from Canada to San Francisco on bikes, camping out along the way. Brunch saw the Pacific Coast, I saw his butt (I drafted off him the whole way). I guess that would’ve been against the rules in this race.

Another story about Brunch… He got in a bike wreck a few years ago. He cut his leg pretty bad and hurt his wrist. Finally after three or four days he went to see a doctor because the gash wasn’t closing. “That could’ve used stitches,” the doctor told him. “But’s it’s too late now. You’ll just have a big scar.” (He does). “That was quite a wreck. Hurt anything else?” Brunch mentioned his wrist, only after being asked. The doctor poked his wrist in a few spots and at one Brunch yelped. The X-ray confirmed the doctor’s suspicion. Brunch had a fractured wrist. Before he left the office, the doctor told Brunch, “You’re tougher than the average bear.” I can’t tell you how often I’ve thought the same thing returning from one of our adventures — him bounding and wanting more, me dragging myself from a hot shower and into bed.

That’s great stuff, and I’m very thankful to Glenn for passing it along, as well as the pictures.

I just checked the leaderboard and see that Eric — tire problems and all — has caught three of the six riders he’s been chasing for four states. They were 100 miles ahead of him a week ago. Now they’re eating his dust. Holy moly.

Kind of inspires you to want to donate a penny or two per mile toward Evan Mettie’s wheelchair by e-mail to tourdechair@gmail.com, doesn’t it?  I’m not sure enough have yet enough donations have come in to make that wheelchair a reality quite yet. And that would be a real bummer if, after all he’s been through over the last 22 days, those of us sitting here at home didn’t step up to the plate and do our part.

I’m just sayin’.

– Scott Sandsberry

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