The Last Ride of Al Gamos, A Steadfast Friend.

The last photo of Al (in color), here with the whole TSP team. Taken just before we rode out.

September 25, 2015

Life has just thrown us a curve ball. The day started out right, with around 40+ TSP riders converging at the T3 Cainta meetup place early morning, after which we rode to Busobuso Valley where the popular Mang Vic's Bulalohan is located. The morning was getting warm, but not unbearably so, and the team slowly but surely inched up the slopes of Marcos highway. The team was strong albeit with a few stragglers struggling with the inclines but it was nothing out of the ordinary; about the only serious incident so far was when a member fell on his side because he wasn’t used to clipless pedals yet. I halted the team several times for the tail to catch up so that we can travel as a compact group. At one of the stops a few kilometres out, I was able to talk and joke with Al Gamos about his using a Brompton for a ride like this (these bikes are not very well suited for climbing), and we laughed about it. Al is a very experienced rider and has ridden this route many times, and I had no inkling that this would be his last.

Further into the route, I halted the team once more on the crest of yet another long incline at the Padilla area at Marcos Highway. While the front of the group was resting and with the tail looming into view, my radio crackled with the garbled voice of Atan (who was one of the sweepers) saying “Chief, chief emergency!” I thought it was another spill, or maybe heat exhaustion or the like, and requested for more information. I could see the tail a bit, they were partially obscured by a parked vehicle but in a second Atan was right in front of us saying that I had to go down. Brv Crdns, who is an RN (with experience in ICU and emergency first response) went down with him, while I hurriedly purchased a bottle of Gatorade thinking that it was still heat related. I was handed an open bottle which I stuffed into my pants pocket, and off I went sprinting down on my bike.

The place where Al collapsed. This was before the tricycle sped off  carrying him, Atan and Brv to the hospital. I am the one with the helmet behind the tricycle. Photo credit: Boni Bartolo

What I saw next was a waking nightmare. Al was flat on the ground, with lifeless eyes staring into space, with Brv applying CPR compressions on his chest. He said there was bradycardia (very weak pulse) earlier, with none now. I stood like a statue for what seemed like an eternity when he said get help. A Baranggay official materialized and said that he radioed for emergency transport. I ran to the middle of the road, uphill, hoping to commandeer a car, jeep, truck, anything, and then there was this long convoy of tricycles led by an owner jeep laden with passengers – it was an INC motorcade of sorts, they were promoting something that didn’t register in my mind and I stood in front of them waving like a maniac so they would stop and they did and I asked them for help and they did go to where Al was.. they had an emergency team on a motorcycle and they helped with the CPR, with Brv still pumping Al’s chest, and the lady EMT blowing air into his lungs. I sat beside Al, waiting for my turn to do chest compressions when Brv gets tired – I held his hand tightly and willed him to wake up, he has to! Brv checked his pulse and said there is none, so we really have to get him to the hospital pronto so we flagged down a tricycle and lifted Al into it. He was extremely heavy and unwieldy to grasp, and we finally got him in with his body askew, Brv at the back of the driver holding Al’s head and Atan riding shotgun at the other side to prevent Al from spilling out. There was no room for me so I remained behind to organize the team to go to the hospital and help ferry the bikes of Al, Atan and Brv as well.

The tricycle was intercepted by the hospital ambulance, and Al was loaded onto it. At the hospital, they checked for his vital signs. The works – blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature, heart rate, pupil dilation, even an EKG. All were zero. Zilch. Nada. Flatline. We lost Al. The official time of death was 9:25 am, on 9/25/2015. But Al was gone a bit earlier as he laid on the road, with Brv pumping away at his chest and me clutching his hand fiercely. While we still don’t have the results of the autopsy (which is entirely up to the decision of Al’s family), massive internal bleeding from a stroke or Myocardial infarction is highly suspect. From the rapidity of what unfolded, Al’s chances were very slim.

The next hours were spent trying to get hold of Al’s next of kin. Thanks to Ayla, Christian, Ethel and others who pored through Al’s phone, sim card and wallet, and through TSP members at Facebook, Al’s relatives were contacted and they trickled in later in the afternoon. At this point, the whole TSP team was still intact, no one went home. All were one in seeing this through. I saw everyone teetering at the edge of an emotional cliff. I tried to show a brave face largely, be strong but there were lapses when the tears just flow and my voice cracked while speaking. It just really hurts. I feel that perhaps I, we could have done better. Maybe.

Goodbye Al. You are much loved. It has been an honor sharing rides and experiences with you. Thank you for being a steadfast friend, a believer in the vision of our organization, a leader with wise decisions and sagacity, for lending strength to us with your few words but massive presence. Thank you for being you.

With Al during one of TSP's TiGAs (Tiklop General Assembly) meetings this year. Photo Credit:Joselito Katindig 

This is Al's last Photo Cover on his Facebook page. Farewell Al. Photo Credit: Al Gamos

Notes:

- Al joined the Tiklop Society of the Philippines in 2012. I first met him in June of that year during the annual Tomb to Womb Ride, which is a tribute to our national hero Jose Rizal wherein we ride from Luneta to Calamba.

- He is one of the most amiable persons that one can ever meet. He has a beaming infectious smile and always has a a word of encouragement for bikers who seem to have a hard time keeping up in a ride. His role as a sweeper in most rides suits him very well.

- He is a staunch believer in the vision and mission of TSP. Silent, a man of few words, yet a steadfast supporter who propped me up during times when I had difficulty with issues.

- Al is a very private person. Nobody knew a whole lot about him, even his closest friends at TSP. We didn't know where he lived, who his family were, what he did for a living. Which explains why we had a hard time tracking down his next of kin. And we were mightily surprised when we learned that he was a retired policeman. 

- His wife related that he was very happy with TSP and biking, and though Al is a man of few words, he likes to talk about TSP when asked. That it is one thing that he could never go without. His wife whom we never met, knew many TSP members through Facebook.

- She also shared that around three years ago, Al lost consciousness during a mountain bike ride in Laguna. He was brought to a hospital by his friends and regained consciousness there. He had hypertension and was taking maintenance medicine for it.
- Al is a very experienced rider and has been on very long rides before, such as the All night Balloon ride from  Manila to Pampanga, or the arduous Laguna loop that circumnavigates Laguna de Bay. He has been through an extreme range of temperatures and weather, from very hot blistering days to drenching thunderstorms. 
- At TSP, we always seek to educate members, and one of the most emphasized points is how to prevent heat injuries. This ride is typical as we stopped several times to keep the team compressed. During these stops, members were told to drink up and keep hydrated.
- Just before the last slope of his life, Al and the rest of the tail end of the team took a break at a store where they rested and hydrated a bit. Though the temperature was warming up, the air was still a bit cool and it was not humid at all. When they headed up the incline, Al was the last man when he collapsed. Within minutes the first responder, Brv Crdns, was upon him and performed CPR. Brv is a very experienced ICU nurse and at one point in his life was assigned in Zamboanga as an Army nurse. I arrived at the scene a minute later, because I purchased a bottle of Gatorade thinking that the problem was heat stroke or exhaustion. I have had training in first aid and CPR as well. 
- From what we saw, neither of us thought that the injury was heat related, especially the rapid onset of Al's condition. I wished it were heat exhaustion or stroke, because it would have been much easier to handle. Later when we inspected his bike and equipment, we found that his tidy Brooks leather saddle has a gash at the right wing. The end of the right hand grip also has a similar tear, and Al's helmet had a huge crack at the back. This all indicates that he collapsed suddenly, almost nearly without warning, and he did not do anything to arrest his fall.  Alas, Al's time has come. Farewell, my friend.