Indianapolis – For Broc Bebout, it was the bike ride of his dreams: a six-week, 2,500-mile journey across America, from the Pacific Coast to the shores of Georgia.
A day after finishing the trek, however, the 57-year-old’s heart suddenly gave out.
Family and friends were shocked by his death Thursday, but they said it was tempered by the active life Bebout pursued after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery nearly 20 years ago.
“He wanted to get the word out for people to keep moving after heart surgery, that you can be a healthy, productive person. And that’s what he did,” said Bebout’s widow, Patricia Brinkman, from her home in Indiana. “I think the years he had after his bypass surgery were some of the best years of his life.”
A marathon runner before his surgery in 1987, Bebout had scaled back his running by the time he and his wife wed in 2000. However, he embraced biking and the couple made several trips across Indiana together before he got cleared by his cardiologist to attempt the big ride across the country.
Bebout hit the road in Carlsbad, Calif., in March with a group of 22 other members of a Christian-based bicycling group. Their average age was 62.
Along the way, Bebout dutifully took several medications to control his blood pressure and cholesterol. As the riders crossed the Desert Southwest, the Rocky Mountains and the vast Southern Plains, he tracked his heart rate with a sophisticated heart monitor attached to his bike.
His only complaint was that his legs wouldn’t give him the pedaling power he wanted on the inclines, said Lothar Nitz, a 65-year-old retired bicycle- shop owner.
“Broc was really excited during the whole trip. He never mentioned feeling bad. … He was just clipping along like we were,” Nitz said.
Toward the end of the trip, Brinkman made a surprise visit to join her husband for a 55-mile stretch through Alabama – the last time she would see him.
After 42 days on the road, the riders rolled into Brunswick, Ga., on April 27, and got a police escort to adjacent St. Simons Island on the coast.
They posed for photos, celebrated with a steak dinner and soon were heading north in two vans, their bikes and gear following in a truck.
Bebout was still in a good mood early the next day, talking about his next cycling trip and sharing jokes. An hour later, though, he suddenly began gasping for air. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Jim Overbey, a 56-year-old retired executive, said he hopes Bebout died with a sense of accomplishment.
“Even though it ended in tragedy, it was the best trip ever for a lot of people, and that was true for Broc too,” Overbey said. “He wanted to finish the trip more than anyone else. And he did.”
