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Quintuple bypass surgery can't keep avid cyclist from Big Dam Bridge 100

Heart surgery can't keep Mike Collier from riding in the Big Dam Bridge 100.

The Big Dam Bridge 100 brings cyclists from all over the country to Central Arkansas. One rider is overcoming an uphill battle as he prepares to ride in the state’s largest cycling tour.

Mike Collier is an avid cyclist, whose love for the sport began in 2005.

“I enjoy riding fast and riding distance,” he said.

Around this time most years, you’d find Collier, 64, outside training for the Big Dam Bridge 100. However, this year is different.

“The only bike riding I've done has been on a trainer or stationary bike,” Collier said.

During an annual checkup earlier this year, Collier’s primary care physician noticed an abnormality in his EKG, so he was referred to a cardiologist at Arkansas Heart Hospital. The cardiologist discovered major blockage in his arteries.

“I think my exact words were ‘you gotta be kidding me,’” Collier said.

He underwent quintuple bypass surgery on July 18.

“You can be really fit and not have a clue that you have blockage in your arteries because I did not have a clue,” Collier said. “I was shocked when they told me that I had the type of blockage I had in my arteries,” he said.

Following surgery, Collier became a patient of Arkansas Heart Hospital’s Strong Hearts Rehab.

“Exercise is medicine; that is a big thing we push here,” exercise physiologist Samuel Taylor said.

Taylor is Collier’s coach and part of the team monitoring his heartbeat and blood pressure as he works out.

“It's a good way to see what's going on underlying compared to going to where it’s a gym where there's no telemetry at all,” Taylor said.

Collier said he has used his time in the cardiac rehab program to maintain his fitness, and he plans to return to the trails soon.

“I've been told that It'll be OK if I ride 50 miles in the Big Dam Bridge 100 this year, so that's 73 days out from surgery,” Collier said. “So I'm going to ride 50 miles.”

He also plans to train for the Little Rock Half Marathon with a goal of finishing top 10 in his age group.

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