A Missouri man died after a bicycle crash on the final day of RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across the state organized by the Des Moines Register. The victim of Saturday’s crash is identified as 69-year-old Donald Myers, who was a professor of engineering management at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
RAGBRAI director T.J. Juskiewicz says the crash happened at about 11 a.m. at the bottom of a big hill near Geode State Park in southeast Iowa. "The entire route through southern Iowa was very hilly," Juskiewicz said. "That was the only accident on that particular hill, so I don’t want to speculate what could’ve contributed to this accident."
No other cyclists were involved in the crash and Myers did not collide with any object, according to officers. Myers was wearing a helmet. Another unidentified cyclist was injured on Friday after running into a county road grader near Germanville.
"For the most part, injuries were down overall from what I understand from our medical coordinator," Juskiewicz said. "Safety is our number one concern out there when we start planning for RAGBRAI. It’s a tragedy to end the ride this way. Our thoughts are with the family and the extended family of the professor."
Next year’s RAGBRAI is scheduled for July 25th through the 31st. The route for the 38th annual RAGBRAI will be announced in January.