“I wanted to do something with a purpose,” said Bruce Breeser, one of the organizers putting together Prairie Rivers Trail Ride to bring bicyclists together in honor of Doyle’s memory. “Not just to have a bicycle ride in Fort Dodge, but to do it for a good reason.”

Breeser was one of Doyle’s coworkers on the construction job site where he succumbed to a sudden heart problem, aortic dissection, that ultimately killed the 29-year-old two years ago.

“The sledge hammer went down, and he went from there,” said his mother, Jean Doyle, as she and her six sons witnessed. “We were all there; we went to the hospital together.”

An aortic dissection is a rare condition in which the inner layer of the large blood vessels branching off the heart tears, most common in men in their 60s and 70s.

“Not a day goes by where we don’t think or talk about him,” Jean Doyle said. “We’re so thankful they’re doing this to keep his memory alive and help others.”

To honor him, all proceeds from this Saturday’s bike ride will go towards helping provide automated external defibrillators to local businesses, which can be cost prohibitive to install at about $1,000. The first one will be donated to Athletics for Education & Success’s gym.

“They work with a lot of kids,” Breeser said, hoping a child’s life can be saved with the device should another heart condition arise.

It’s an issue he knows all too well – he lost his father at age 50 and his brother at age 39 to heart conditions.

Together, organizers want to celebrate not only the memory of Josh Doyle, but the vibrant and growing trail system in Fort Dodge, an idea fully backed by the city’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department and local businesses, who have stepped up without hesitation to support the cause.

“I thought if we could get 25 people registered, that would be great,” Breeser said.

They now have over 100 registrations.

In promoting the trail system, he says the ride he hopes to make an annual event may evolve to support other important causes and honor residents of Fort Dodge who have passed.

Trail projects over the next two years include bridge replacement for the Nature Trail, a bridge connection from John F. Kennedy Memorial Park to the Veterans Park, paving at the Kennedy Park loop and a connection to the trail network at 170th Street.

“The idea is to promote the trail system and honor others in the future so that we can continue to make it something community supported and give back to the community,” Breeser said.

He knows that honoring his old co-worker by celebrating a growing trail system in a way that gives back would make the man known for being happy even happier.

“He’d be in awe,” Breeser said, if Josh Doyle could see the community come together. “He’d do anything for anybody. He was an all-around great kid.”

“He was always the first one there to help,” his mother said, working through the pain of a loss still fresh.

In memory of their son, his parents and family hope the event can bring help to others with a ride that lets participants make stops to enjoy the journey along the way.

Prairie Rivers Trail Ride

For more information or to register for the Prairie Rivers Trail Ride, call (515) 302-8800 or (515) 570-4959. The bike ride will start, rain or shine, at 10 a.m. Saturday at River Hops Brewery with stops along the trail including John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, Sports Page, Rides and Amigos. A free barbecue meal ticket is included with the $25 registration fee. Bikers can win a 21-speed mountain bike or other exciting prizes in drawings after the poker run.

All proceeds will go toward the purchase of an AED (automated external defibrillator) machine in honor of Josh Doyle.