Lance Armstrong plans Tuesday ride with Mich. cyclists

Lance Armstrong, who said said he was "in complete disbelief" after hearing about a crash near Kalamazoo, Mich., that left five cyclists dead, will head Tuesday to western Michigan to join cyclists to finish the ride their friends and loved ones started

A 50-year-old Battle Creek man, Charles Edward Pickett Jr., is facing second-degree murder in connection with the incident in which four other cyclists were injured. He is accused of driving a pickup into the nine cyclists as they rode June 7 in Cooper Township north of Kalamazoo, almost 150 miles west of Detroit.

This is "by far the worst that I've ever seen," Armstrong said of the tragedy.

"For me, this is pretty heavy, thinking the fact that we're going to complete the ride that they set out to is, I'm not sure that I'm equipped for that emotionally," he said.

A fear of being struck by a vehicle is one all cyclists share, Armstrong said. He also plans to grab a beer with the cyclists at their favorite "watering hole" afterward.

His decision to travel to Kalamazoo for the ride comes after an emotional Instagram message he posted after the tragedy. Unable to shake his feelings about the crash, he wrote: "To the ones lost — may you rest in peace. To their friends, families, teammates, partners — my deepest condolences."

The cyclists were part of a group called the Chain Gang, which regularly gathered to ride.

The five cyclists who were killed:

• Debra Ann Bradley, 53, of Augusta, Mich.
• Melissa Ann Fevig-Hughes, 42, of Augusta
• Fred Anton "Tony" Nelson, 73, of Kalamazoo
• Lorenz John "Larry" Paulik, 74, of Kalamazoo, and
• Suzanne Joan Sippel, 56, of Augusta

The injured cyclists are Paul Douglas Gobble, 47, of Richland, Mich.; Sheila Diane Jeske, 53, of Richland; Jennifer Lynn Johnson, 40, of Kalamazoo; and Paul Lewis Runnels, 65, of Richland.

Loved ones continue to mourn those killed while the survivors begin healing.

A spokesman for Borgess Medical Center said Johnson remained in fair condition over the weekend and Gobble is in serious condition. On Friday, a Bronson Healthcare spokeswoman said Runnels was in fair condition.

Ray Jeske said his wife, Sheila, was cycling with the group that day along with two close friends — Bradley and Sippel. Sheila Jeske is recovering from injuries, including surgery on her left ankle.

"She's very strong," Ray Jeske said.

Authorities have not said what they believed caused Pickett to crash into the cyclists.

Bradley's family released a statement expressing appreciation for the outpouring of love.

"We feel blessed that she was so greatly loved, the expressions continue to provide our family comfort. This is an immensely difficult time for us," the statement said. "We respectfully ask that our family is allowed to grieve and plan in peace."

Bradley's obituary said she had been a nurse, mother and wife.

She took no hesitance to defend those who would not or could not take a stand ... not just for those she loved and who love her but for those who were blessed to cross her path.

Bradley's obituary also called her a bike enthusiast, true for Suzanne Sippel as well.

Her obituary talked of her love of cycling and the outdoors. Sippel worked as a data manager on sustainable agriculture research projects for Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station and "had a charming smile, a distinctive laugh and a deep appreciation of life."

Fevig-Hughes' obituary said she was an analytical chemist with Covance Laboratories in Battle Creek and was an avid outdoorswoman.

"The most important priority of Melissa's life is that she lived for her daughters, and they loved her very much," the website said.

No obituary has been published yet on a funeral home website for Nelson.

Mark Paulik, who said he is Larry Paulik's son, wrote an open letter to Pickett on Facebook: "Words will never encompass the pain that has befallen me, my family, and friends over this accident. Our lives will be forever altered because of this tragic event."

Contributing: Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press, and the Battle Creek Enquirer. Follow Gina Damron on Twitter: @ginadamron