Published Wednesday September 3, 2008Cycling: Peterson showing mettle on pedals
BY JOHN MARTIN FEYWORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Joel Peterson has always enjoyed staying active. The 1976 Elkhorn graduate ran track and cross country in high school and, near the end of a brief fling with off-road motorcycle racing, began running marathons.
Joel Peterson has always enjoyed staying active. The 1976 Elkhorn graduate ran track and cross country in high school and, near the end of a brief fling with off-road motorcycle racing, began running marathons.
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Joel Peterson of Valley bikes 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year despite having to take a powerful drug called Remicade IV every two months to control Crohn's disease symptoms. "It's kind of like chemo," he said. "You feel like crap for two weeks. But it's the magic bullet."A hamstring injury in 1997 ended his running, so he switched to cycling."Not exercising was getting to me," Peterson said. "The bike was freedom again. I found a group to ride with and rode after work and on Saturdays and Sundays. I loved it."Life was good for the 50-year-old Valley resident, who is married and has two daughters.And then he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease five years ago."I had kind of heard about it," Peterson said of the disease. "I knew somebody who had it."Peterson took the news about the same as the doctor who delivered it."The doctor acted like it wasn't a big deal," Peterson said. "Crohn's can be anywhere in your digestive tract."I'm one of the lucky ones.""Lucky" might be a relative term.Crohn's disease causes chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall, often inflicting cramps, diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite and other symptoms. Peterson will be on medication the rest of his life, and about every two months, he must take a powerful drug called Remicade IV."It's kind of like chemo," he said. "You feel like crap for two weeks. But it's the magic bullet."Peterson's wife, Rebecca, has been by his side during those difficult days."He has been fortunate through that in that it's the worst of the symptoms and side effects that he has," Rebecca said.Crohn's hasn't kept Peterson from cycling. He's done multiple BRAN and RAGBRAI events.He estimates that his annual bike mileage is between 2,000 and 3,000 miles.He also participated in the 2006 Triple Bypass held in Colorado, a one-day, 120-mile event covering three 11,000-foot passes."I did the first pass, 18 miles," he recalled. "It was raining and 36 degrees on July 7. Out of 3,500 people entered, 2,900 got hypothermia and dropped out after the 20-mile downhill after the first climb."He wanted to try the Triple Bypass again this year but was disappointed to find out that the event was full. So he sought another challenge.Peterson chose the Bob Cook Memorial Mt. Evans Hill Climb, which takes place in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver."The wife didn't like this idea," Peterson said. "She didn't say a word about motorcycle racing, but riding up to 14,000 feet bothered her. She thought about heart attacks, strokes."Perhaps she had reason to worry."At 14 miles, about 11,000 feet, I started having to stop every half-mile to catch my breath and let my heart rate come down," Peterson said. "By 22 miles at Summit Lake, I was stopping every 100 yards."There were race officials on motorcycles stopping to ask me if I was OK. Toward the top, I was stopping every 50 to 70 yards."Undaunted, Peterson finished the race in about five hours."It was one of the top three hardest events I've done," he said.But he's not done yet. He'll continue to ride in area events and plans on competing in the Senior Olympics next year now that he's 50.And he'll do it with his wife shaking her head in amazement."When he sets his mind to doing something, it happens," Rebecca Peterson said. "He is my best friend and confidant, and he keeps us all happy every day because he is always in a good mood."• Contact the writer: 444-1031, john.fey@owh.com
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