Austin man bikes 500 miles just 3 months after major heart surgery

Randy Greenberg was an active 60-something, doing tough bike rides and keeping up with people much younger than him.

In 2022, he and his wife were taking a trip in their RV across the U.S. and had spent a month in Florida where they’d ridden bikes on flat roads. “When I came back to Austin and had trouble making it up hills and getting out of breath, at first I thought it was just being out of practice with hills,” he said.

Then his dentist noted that his blood pressure was 80/50 (normal is about 120/80). This led him to see Dr. Peter Monteleone, cardiologist with Ascension Seton, who performed a sonogram and echocardiogram and diagnosed Randy with a mitral valve prolapse. Because Randy had had a mitral valve repaired in 2016 due to a genetic issue, this time the mitral valve would have to be replaced. So Randy was sent to Dr. George Arnaoutakis, a cardiothoracic surgeon (also with Ascension Seton).

Randy’s surgery date was April 11, and he was already asking his doctor if he could do an 8-day bike ride across Iowa in July. “I asked if I could do it as a ‘stretch goal,’’ he said, and his doctor said it was possible but would require a lot of physical therapy.

Three days after his son’s wedding, Randy had the surgery and was in the hospital for 8 days, already walking around the halls and courtyard.

Randy’s cardio rehab team was “transformative,” he said. At first, he didn’t think he needed rehab but the doctor advised, “You might want someone watching over you and monitoring your heart as you exercise.” By June, Randy was actually riding his bike to his rehab appointments, about 7 miles each way.

By July, Randy was ready for his 8-day bike ride across Iowa. RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is an “epic 8-day rolling festival of bicycles, music, food and community.” The ride goes from the western edge to the eastern edge of Iowa, covering 500 miles. Having participated 6 times before, Randy was excited to be part of RAGBRAI’s 50th anniversary, which drew about 50,000 riders.

“I ate about 10 slices of pie during the week, so I now need to go on a diet,” he told his doctors.

When asked what is the best thing about his recovery, Randy said, “It’s so nice to be able to do things you want and to not be limited in your activity. The first 6-8 weeks are not fun but once you get beyond that, you can get back to a very active lifestyle. I don’t feel like I’ve put a band-aid on anything or that I’m limited.”