Uphill Fight: Bike devotee was hit from behind

If you've spent any time driving around Winston-Salem in the past few years, you've probably seen Bruce Hermann chugging away in that odd little recumbent bicycle of his.

Slung low to the ground with the riders' legs extended out in front, Hermann's contraption -- recumbent bikes are typically more ergonomic than an upright bike and thus easier on the rider's back -- made the 58-year-old Californian one of the city's more noticeable figures as he commuted between his home in the West End and his bicycle shop in western Forsyth County. Maybe you cracked a little smile and waved while carefully passing a dedicated cyclist out exercising his legal right to use city streets. Or perhaps you stewed, that angry purple vein in your forehead throbbing as you slowed to a virtual crawl behind him on a busy road.

However you view him, Hermann (and his family) don't deserve the agony they've been through while he fights for his life at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. He was hit from behind about 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 by a car traveling 35 mph on Country Club Road at Jonestown Road.

Sure, the Hermanns knew that dreaded knock on the door could come anytime. Hermann's wife, son and daughter are well aware that riding a bicycle, especially the unusual version he rode, on city streets carries an element of risk. But that doesn't ease their anguish any. "I've always been worried about that … he tended to work late," his wife, Margaret Hermann, said. "We've always been afraid that something like this might happen."

Lifelong cyclist, advocate

Written in neat, clear lettering on a police report, the narrative description of what happened is clinical and chilling.

"Vehicle #1 and Vehicle #2, a pedalcyclist, were traveling east in the 4700 block of County Club Rd. when Vehicle #1 failed to reduce speed thus colliding with Vehicle #2," says the report written by Officer Kelly Rankin of the Winston-Salem Police Department. "The pedalcyclist was ejected from his vehicle and traveled an additional 66 feet from the point of contact. Vehicle #2 was equipped with proper lighting and, according to the witnesses, was working properly."

The fact that Hermann's bike was properly equipped didn't come as a surprise to his family. As fervent as he is about his right to be on the road, he's even more passionate about doing so safely.

"He has been since we were little kids," said his daughter, Claire Hermann, before ticking off some of her father's rules. "No riding without a helmet. No riding at night without lights. Ride single file. Use the correct (turn) signals."

No traffic citations have been issued to the driver who hit Hermann. What charges, if any, that prosecutors might bring will be determined later, as investigators wait to see how he fares.

As you might expect, the legal process is the least of the family's concerns. The Hermanns spent a large chunk of last week sitting by Bruce's bedside at Wake Forest Baptist, where he was in critical condition with internal and spinal injuries.

During a short break from that vigil, they sat in the lobby of the hospital's North Tower, smiling and laughing at times as they lovingly talked about a unique and distinctive man.

Hermann has been devoted to riding since he was a high-school student in Castro Valley, Calif., commuting to an after-school job. His bike was his only mode of transportation when he was a student at the University of California-Davis. He rode across the country from Seattle to Washington D.C., and has been an outspoken advocate for bicyclists' rights and safety for nearly his entire life.

"A bicycle is such a symbol of individualism and so environmentally friendly," Margaret Hermann said, fingering her husband's yellow Livestrong bracelet now dangling from her own wrist. "They gave this to me in the emergency room when they brought him in."

Determined rider

Bruce Hermann ran a bike shop downtown for a time, and then moved it to a space next to his wife's veterinary hospital in Lewisville.

He believed deeply in his rights as a bicyclist, and lobbied (locally and nationally) for creating more bike-travel lanes.

He has suffered concussions, broken bones and cuts. He flipped over his handlebars and was knocked unconscious several years ago when a dog ran into his path. He was knocked to the ground by a school bus whose driver turned into him. Each time, he defiantly climbed back into the saddle.

"It was very typical of my dad not to let it get to him," Claire Hermann said.

Just a week or so earlier, Margaret Hermann said, her husband remarked that the intersection he feared the most was the one where he was hit.

If the weather cooperates, a small group of recumbent-bike devotees will meet at Hermann's shop this morning and go for a ride. Margaret Hermann said she would like for cyclists and her family's friends to "get on their bicycles and persevere for their right to share the road," and she hopes that motorists who read about her husband will pay a little bit more attention to riders.

Before the family went back to Hermann's room, his daughter well summed up his spirit when she was asked whether she thought that he would ride again.

"I would be shocked if he didn't," Claire Hermann said. "And if he's in some way disabled, he'll figure out a way to refit a bike so he can ride."

■ Scott Sexton can be reached at 727-7481 or at ssexton@wsjournal.com.