Thirty-seven days into his effort to raise funds for charity by bicycling 2,400 miles from Bellingham, Washington, to his hometown of Galva, Illinois, Village Books [5] co-owner Chuck Robinson had to cut his tour short after an accident in North Dakota.

Robinson had pledged one dollar per mile to each of three organizations: the Book Industry Charitable Foundation [6], the Whatcom Community Foundation [7], and the Galva Foundation for Educational Enrichment [8].

He now plans to be in touch with supporting pledgers about their forthcoming donations, expressing the hope that they will consider giving the full amount, as if he had completed the 2,400 miles in full. “After all, this wasn’t about me, it’s about the great work that these three organizations do,” Robinson wrote on his blog [9], where he shared photographs of his injuries.

On July 21, with nearly 1,500 miles behind him, Robinson was overtaken by two farm dogs and, in his efforts to fend them off, tumbled onto the pavement. “I haven’t looked at my helmet, but I’ll bet I’ll never wear that one again,” Robinson said.

Rescued by a passing driver and delivered to his wife and RV driver, Dee, just a few miles down the road, Robinson learned at the Sanford Clinic in Mandan that he had broken three ribs and cracked two, in addition to having spots of road rash on his head, shoulder, arms, and legs.

While the bicycling part of his trip may be over, Robinson is continuing on as planned — only now in the couple’s RV. They will attend Dee’s high school reunion in Hastings, Nebraska, followed by Robinson’s in Galva.

“Ribs, as I know from experience, do heal,” Robinson wrote. “They take a while, and the sad news is that I won’t be able to continue the ride from here. However, the doctor insists that a broken rib is worth 300 miles, so technically, that completes the ride — just counting the fully broken ones, with the cracked ones for extra measure.”

Pledges are still welcome for the three organizations Robinson selected. Visit Village Books [10] to learn more.