Eric Bruntjen reaches the end of his ride

YAKIMA, Wash. — The headline is true, and in a good way.

Twenty-two days ago, Eric Bruntjen, the 38-year-old information technology specialist from Yakima was one of 42 endurance athletes from around the world in the Canadian Rockies tourist town of Banff at the starting line of the 2,780-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race.

He was riding in hopes of generating enough per-mile pledges to purchase a specialized all-terrain wheelchair for profoundly injured Iraq war veteran Evan Mettie of Selah. For those three weeks and one day, people have been sending e-mails to tourdechair@gmail.com, with all pledge donations going to the “Evan Mettie Donation” fund at U.S. Bank.

Whether or not Eric Bruntjen reached that first goal won’t be known for a few days, until everyone who pledged to donate actually does so. (Or for anybody who has so far missed out on that part of this adventure to join in the party.) I think it’s going to happen, but for now that goal is still out there.

But tonight, Eric reached his other goal: He rode into Antelope Wells, a border crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border, slightly more than 21 days and 11 hours after he began. I believe he finished in eighth place – out of 42. None too shabby.

I imagine we’ll be visiting with Eric in a few days, after he’s had a chance to catch his breath, reconnect with his wife and two children and catch up on some well-earned sleep.

But right now, I think I’ll just tip my hat, raise a glass, offer a toast and say congratulations. If anybody has ever earned a Fourth of July worth celebrating, it’s Eric Bruntjen.

– Scott Sandsberry