‘One of a Kind’ Cyclist Killed on Cross-Country Charity Ride
A beloved cyclist was killed this week during a cross-country charity ride to raise money for childhood cancer research.
James Dobson, 32, had committed to cycling from Dover, New Hampshire, to San Diego and back-a total of nearly 7,000 miles-to benefit the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Manchester, New Hampshire. He set out on October 1 for what he was calling his “Positive Vibes Tour,” keeping fans abreast of his progress on a GoFundMe page.
But on his 44th day on the road, tragedy struck. A driver in a 2016 Dodge Challenger hit Dobson’s recumbent tricycle as they both headed west on U.S. Route 98 near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Tuesday afternoon. Volunteer firefighters arrived soon afterward, but Dobson was pronounced dead at the scene.
A spokesperson for the Mississippi Highway Patrol said the driver was unable to avoid hitting Dobson due to traffic patterns in the area. Yet cyclists are allowed on the four-lane road, which doesn’t have much of shoulder or any significant turns or hills where the crash occurred. No charges have been filed against the driver, who was unhurt, though the case remains under investigation.
Upon hearing news of his death, friends and acquaintances remembered Dobson for his fun, warm, and generous nature. Based on tributes posted to Twitter and Facebook, he left a strong impression on many strangers he met during the course of his ride.
“James was infectious. His personality was fabulous. You couldn't meet a nicer person,” Doug Bower, a friend, told the Hattiesburg American. “He was driven. He wanted to raise money to help children and thought this was a good way to do this.”
Another friend, James Richesin, said, “He was one of a kind. He liked to make people smile. That was his goal.”
R.I.P. James Dobson. You wore a smile spread good vibes and a rode trike. Can’t get much more JaYoe than that. He was riding for charity. If you can... please support the cause he died for. https://t.co/Y6mv8S0K67
- JaYoe (@JaYoeLife) November 14, 2018
This hadn’t been Dobson’s first time traveling across the country for charity. In a previous fundraiser for the same hospital, he drove a minivan to San Diego and had people sign his van along the way. Because he had never taken such a long cycling ride, he began training three months before setting out on the Positive Vibes Tour.
Dobson, who hailed from Lebanon, Maine, also played semi-professional football for the Maine Sabers, a team in the New England Football League, as well as teams in Europe and the erstwhile Ultimate Indoor Football League. In 2016, he made mittens for the homeless in a program he called “Look Forward."
“It’s all about opportunity,” he told the Portland Press Herald in 2012. “So many people can’t or don’t use the opportunities they get. I have to.”
Family, friends, and neighbors in New England continue to mourn the loss of Dobson. “Everything he did was to help people,” one neighbor told Seacoast Online, a New Hampshire news website. “He was the nicest guy in the world.” Joe Caproni, an officer with the Dover Police Patrol, said, “He was a dreamer and always looking for the good in people. He was larger than life.”
Dobson had originally set a $10,000 goal on his charity ride’s GoFundMe. As of Friday, it had raised more than double that amount.
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