KALAMAZOO, MI -- For at least a decade, a group known as the Chain Gang met for regular bike rides in Kalamazoo County.

Tuesday's plan: Gather at 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Kalamazoo Health and Community Services campus along Gull Road, and take a "lovely ride" to Plainwell and back, said an email sent to local bicyclists.

"Refreshments afterward," probably at Gonzo's BiggDogg Brewing in downtown Kalamazoo, it said.

Nine bikers showed up for the ride, including a data manager with the Kellogg Biological Station, a former school nurse in Gull Lake, and two Kalamazoo retirees who were avid cyclers and active parishioners at St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish.

Across town as the bikers were starting their trek northwest, a blue Chevy pickup truck was seen driving erratically along Drake Road, headed northeast.

Multiple calls were made to 911, and police from the city, Kalamazoo Township and Kalamazoo County Sheriff's office were looking for the vehicle.

Just after 6:30 p.m., the cyclists were traveling along North Westnedge Avenue in Cooper Township.

It's a two-lane stretch of straight roadway with a gentle incline, in a bucolic setting. To the riders' right was Markin Glen County Park. Across the street was a house advertising firewood for sale.

The speed limit was 35 mph, increasing to 50 mph just up ahead.

Authorities say the blue pickup came roaring up behind the cyclists and plowed into the group.

One witness was leaving the park after fishing and was nearly hit by the pickup himself. "I saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew," Markus Eberhard told WOOD-TV.

The pickup truck went off the road. The driver, 50, was taken into the custody at the scene. Police had not yet released the driver's name as of late Wednesday.



Five of the bicyclists were pronounced dead at the scene: Tony Nelson, 73, Larry Paulik, 74, and Melissa Fevig Hughes, 42, all of Kalamazoo, and Debra Bradley, 53, and Suzanne Sippel, 56, both of Augusta.

Nelson and Paulik were retirees and longtime friends who knew each other through their mutual involvement in St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish in Kalamazoo. They also were avid bike riders.

Bradley and Sippel also were friends, according to their Facebook page.

The four who survived but were seriously injured were Paul Gobble, 47; Sheila Jeske, 53, and Paul Runnels, 65, all of Richland. They were hospitalized and on Wednesday were listed in serious condition. Jennifer Johnson, 40, of Kalamazoo, who was leading the ride, was hospitalized and in fair condition.

Authorities said Wednesday they are continuing to investigate the incident, and it's unclear whether alcohol was involved or what caused the driver to strike the bicyclists.



Photos of damaged bikes, pickup show horror of Kalamazoo crash that killed 5

"There are multiple possibilities in terms of charges but a determination of what is an appropriate charge can only be made after we've had the opportunity to review all the evidence police are able to gather," Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said. He said he expected to have a decision on charges Thursday, after receiving police reports.

It was, numerous people have said, the deadliest crash involving bicyclists in memory -- not just in Kalamazoo County, but in Michigan and possibly the country.

"We've talked to lots of people today and nobody can remember a bigger crash," said Aneta Kiersnowski, League of Michigan Bicyclists communications director.

Just like the mass shooting in Kalamazoo on Feb. 20 drew intense national interest, this latest tragedy is news nationally and beyond, with extensive media coverage. It also prompted a social media post by Lance Armstrong.

"Couldn't shake my feeling of incredible sadness thinking about yesterday's unimaginable tragedy in Kalamazoo," Armstrong wrote Wednesday on Instagram.

"To the ones lost -- may you rest in peace. To their friends, families, teammates, partners -- my deepest condolences."

Julie Mack is a reporter for MLive.com. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.