One of my randonneur cycling friends died on July 25th while riding his bike. Jim Shanni apparently suffered a cardiac event and never regained consciousness. He was 58 years old and a strong cyclist. I am saddened to lose my friend so unexpectedly.
I met Jim in 2010 as I finished my third RUSA ride, a 300 km brevet out of Gainesville GA. He was checking in riders, grilling hot dogs, and providing other refreshments. I was new to randonneuring while Jim started in 2007 I think the next time I saw him was at a 600 km brevet in North Carolina when Jim's car had a mechanical issue and we tried to locate an owner's manual on line. Jim developed several routes that could be ridden for RUSA credit. I frequently did three of his routes. Back then we had to pre-register with the "permanent owner" in advance. I got to know Jim well, often he would join me if schedules permitted, and we became good friends.
Here are a few memorable rides I did with Jim.
In 2011 Jim and I volunteered to pre-ride the Gainesville 300 km brevet (ride where we initially met the prior year). Pre-rides confirm cue sheet directions and make sure the roads are OK. We started at 4:00 am Friday the day before the event to finish at a reasonable time and before predicted rain. Most of the ride went well and we shared plenty of stories. Late in the afternoon the weather changed and light rain rolled in. Since Jim was a stronger cyclist than me, he went ahead to avoid/minimize lousy conditions we began to encounter. The rain increased along with thunder and lightning. Although temperatures were reasonable and I had rain gear, the deluge made for miserable conditions. I had several cars offer a ride but determined to receive brevet credit I declined telling them my car was just down the road. Finally the zip lock bag protecting my cue sheet began to leak and directions began to disappear. While I was near the end and on the same roads we had taken on the way out, it was disconcerting to put it mildly. A few miles from the finish Jim came out in his car, genuinely concerned for my safety, and pleaded with me to get into his car. I refused and managed to finish but recall the concern I caused for Jim. On the brevet was the next day two riders encountered a road closure (from the storm I think) and could not complete the brevet.
During a 200 km brevet in 2014 I was bitten by a dog. There were three dogs in a yard on the left as I climbed a small grade. Two of them ran across the road and were just running along side me. Concerned about them crossing in front of me, I was attacked from behind by the third dog who chomped hard on my left calf; the pain and shock reminded me of the movie Jaws. Then all three dogs regrouped and began chasing as I sprinted as fast as I've ever worked on a bike. I rode to a nearby convenience store, but they didn't have first aid supplies that I needed. I called friends at Hard Labor Creek state park picnicking who had first aid supplies. One friend there (doctor) recommended ER visit/stitches while another friend (nurse) disagreed with stitching right away. Jim was on the ride ahead of me--and an ER physician--so I called and asked him to wait for me at the brevet finish to assess the damage. After cleaning and bandaging at HLC I rode 30 miles to the finish where Jim met me. I had first aid stuff in my car, do we looked at the wounds and cleaned them up again. Jim's assessment was if it had been my face he would stitch but since it was my leg leave it open for now to reduce chance of infection. He then gave me detailed instructions on how to care for it, and called in a antibiotic prescription at the Kroger pharmacy nearby. Thanks to Jim's advice, the wounds healed without complication, and it turned out the dog who bit me was the only one with current vaccinations.
Later that year I fractured my femur on a brevet in Rome. At the time I had done 58 monthly RUSA rides of at least 200 km and wanted to keep the streak alive. A group of us scheduled a 200 km Athens permanent for October 25. I rode a tandem as the stoker while Kevin Kaiser was the pilot. It was a challenging ride for Kevin (first tandem ride--and likely his last). Jim was on that ride, and throughout the day riders shepherded Kevin and me to a successful day. I could not have done it without all that support.
In November 2017 I was T-boned by a car on a Sunday ride less than a mile from home and spent 4 days in the hospital. Once again I was working on a streak and by late December felt good enough to attempt a 200 km RUSA ride. Jim and two other riders (Brian Burke & Robert Newcomer) showed up to shepherd me through the day. Once again I would not have been successful without their help. I most likely would not have even attempted it solo.
These stories reflect my own perspectives, but they are examples of how supportive Jim was to everyone he met on RUSA rides. I do not know details on Jim's passing, but that isn't important right now What's important is Jim's family, friends and I lost a wonderful person--unexpectedly and too damn early.
GODSPEED, JIM.
