Kansas City bicycle community rallies around injured cyclist
The cycling community and Zeke Shepherd.
The two are inseparable – linked by roughly 30 years of riding and fixing bikes. What began as a love of cycling in young adulthood morphed into a lifestyle of emission-free commuting. For the past five years, Shepherd has spent his days in Velo Garage and Tap House as a mechanic, helping cyclists get their wheels back on the road in North Kansas City.
His boss, Kylie Sutter, said Shepherd is locally famous for his bicycle expertise.
“He’s always been a central hub figure among the bike scene, even before he worked for us,” Sutter said. “He’s a very good mechanic.”
But in the early hours of Oct. 22, one of Shepherd’s routine rides was cut short.
The details of the accident are unclear, but Shepherd awoke in the hospital with several injuries, including a fractured skull, clavicle and ribs, potentially from a hit and run. His loved ones are grateful he was wearing a helmet, and sustained no major brain damage.
Sutter said Shepherd will recover but still has a long road to trek before he can coast down Kansas City streets again. Possible physical therapy costs, hospital bills and time off work can add up to create an insurmountable financial burden.
Fortunately for Shepherd, the cycling community takes care of its own.
After the accident, Sutter launched a GoFundMe to offset some of Shepherd’s costs and watched support for Shepherd pour in. Thousands of dollars have been raised in the past few days for a man who has helped cyclists in Kansas City time and again.
“It’s helpful to have somebody in your corner that’s rallying and supporting you, and that’s actually the entire KC bicycle community,” Sutter said. “As soon as that kind of hit social media … people were donating and messaging us, asking what they could do to help.”
From there, donations for Shepherd grew into even more fundraising efforts.
Jenny Wise, a friend of Shepherd’s, is in charge of organizing a Nov. 5 charity auction at Velo Garage. The event will begin at noon, and the team will stop accepting auction donations on Wednesday.
Since the business announced the event, Wise said she’s been joyfully overwhelmed by the number of people pitching in, bringing everything from brand-new bikes to quilts to services.
The proceeds will go to help someone who Wise said has a dry sense of humor with a thinly veiled soft side.
“He’s super smart, and he’s just a really great guy,” she said.
With the news of Shepherd’s accident comes the realization that incidents like this happen far too often for cyclists, Sutter said. Many donors have been on the receiving end of the community’s support in their time of need.
Sutter said local cyclists realize that riding is often a gamble, and tragedies always hit close to home.
“I think that all of us cycling Kansas City have known somebody that has not made it out of these types of incidents, whether they didn’t make it out alive or financially. It cascades,” he said. “That’s not lost on any of us.”
Since the crash, Sutter’s been able to visit and talk with Shepherd. He recently underwent surgery to remedy his broken ribs and will have another to address his broken collar bone.
Shepherd seemed touched when Sutter told him about the support he’s received. Teary-eyed, even.
“We just wanted to make sure we rallied and supported him as best as we could,” Shepherd said.