Israeli bicyclist who cycled around world saves 7 lives in death

Because Sadan was a registered organ donor, his death meant a new chance at life for seven Israelis with chronic illnesses and organ failure.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

With a flaming red beard that earned him the nickname “Ginger” and a larger-than-life personality, Roei Sadan was a well-known figure in the cycling world, both in Israel and abroad.

After finishing his army service, Sadan made headlines in 2011 for his cycling journey around the world, during which he biked more than 66,000 kilometers and passed through 42 countries, visiting every continent but Antarctica.

But after a tragic accident last week, Sadan is in the news once again — this time, for saving the lives of seven Israelis via organ donation.

While riding his bike last Thursday near his home at Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra, the 39-year-old was hit by a bus. At Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, his condition deteriorated and he passed away on Friday.

Sadan’s close friend Gil Yehezkel explained that the cyclist had adopted a new training routine meant to simulate climbing Mount Everest.

“There is [a steep] ascent from the Rosh HaNikra cliff upwards, an… ascent that even IDF jeeps have a hard time doing. [Sadan] would do this ascent 21 times, and that was his daily workout,” Yehezkel told Ynet.

“When he was on his way back – and we still do not know exactly how it happened – he was hit by the bus. He received one blow and flew up to the bus windshield, and from there he was thrown forward on the road, falling on his head.”

Because Sadan was a registered organ donor, his death meant a new chance at life for seven Israelis with chronic illnesses and organ failure.

Sadan had a previous brush with death in August 2015, when he fell some 500 meters while rock-climbing in the Himalayas. He was seriously injured and underwent emergency surgery at a local medical center, then spent 2 months in a coma in Israel’s Tel HaShomer Hospital.

Sadan made a miraculous recovery, completing intense physical therapy and learning to ride a bike again just a year after the accident.

The accident put a damper on his wanderlust, and he decided to settle down at Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra near the Lebanese border, to the relief of his mother.

“In all the years that Roie traveled the world on a bike, anxiety has been an integral part of me,” Rachel Sadan told Ynet. “Every ring from an unknown number made me jump and I was scared by every knock on the door.”

“Since Roie returned to Israel, I have calmed down,” she said. “I knew he was here, recovering, hiking, giving lectures and drinking life with pleasure.

“I was sure that within the borders of Israel, he is not exposed to danger,” she said.