Much to admire in big-hearted bicyclist

This editorial appears in the June 12 Yakima Herald-Republic

Eric Bruntjen says he has truly lost his mind. We disagree. At issue is not his mind, but his heart -- and we're confident he has not lost that.

In a gesture that will put his body and mind to the ultimate test of endurance, Bruntjen today begins the 2009 Tour Divide, a mountain bike race along the Continental Divide from the Canadian Rockies to the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico. He will cover 2,780 miles almost exclusively alone on a mountain bike without a support vehicle in tow. He will traverse snow-capped mountain passes and pedal through searing hot deserts.

His goal: to make life a little better for Evan Mettie of Selah, a severely injured Iraq war veteran whose family would like to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair so Evan can enjoy the outdoors once again.

Bruntjen read about Evan in this newspaper and decided he would turn his grueling trek into a fundraiser for the Mettie family. His goal is to raise more than $10,000 to purchase the specialized wheelchair.

Yes, the 38-year-old Bruntjen has a sweet spot in his heart, and we applaud his desire to help someone who has sacrificed so much for our country.

We are looking forward to following Bruntjen on his adventure. We are also excited about keeping track of his progress through Scott Sandsberry's
"Out There" blog at sportsyakima.com/out-there; there's also a link to the blog on our Web site, www.yakimaherald.com.

For those wishing to contribute to Bruntjen's fundraiser, checks should be made out to "Evan Mettie Donation" and can be dropped off at any U.S. Bank.

In the near term, we wish Bruntjen a safe journey, no dreaded goatheads to deflate his tires, and blue skies overhead.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.