Steve Tilford

[thunderworks]

Steve's life exemplified personal responsibility, self-direction and actualization, and stands as a role model for a life well-lived . . . Just too short.

Condolences to Trudi and all of his personal friends.

[SlowPokePete]

Hard to believe this.

SPP

[pbarry]

Followed him since the old tabloid size VeloNews days. Didn't he ride a cam driven bike to the National Hour Record? Irrepressible characher. Choke and I met him at NAHBS in 2012. He will remain a rock star.

[Michael Maddox]

Totally stricken by this.

Cyclists I've known (or at least been acquainted with) who died this week: Steve Reker, Mike Hall, and now Steve Tilford.

Steve was one of my heroes in my racing days in the 80s and 90s.

Rest well, Tilly.

[don'TreadOnMe]

Damn.
Unfair in so many ways.

He had so much more to give, and so many people happy to share w/him.

He may not be here, but he'll always be around in hearts and minds.

Peace to his loves.

[gianni]

I loved his humor and perspective and enjoyed reading his blog. What a loss. RIP and condolences to loved ones.

[Polyglot]

Having suffered the effects of a traumatic brain injury myself, I can only imagine that this might have impacted his actions both in the initial accident and the subsequent deathly impact. TBI's can severely impact all aspects of life, and it is often only in hindsight that you actually realize how severe the impact really is.

RIP Steve

[choke]

Originally Posted by pbarry

Choke and I met him at NAHBS in 2012.

That was one of the first things I thought of when I read the news. He was a really down to earth guy.

RIP Steve.

[Matthew]

Seems like traffic deaths are just out of control lately. And so many cyclists are victims. So sad. And good advice about simply getting out of the way at the scenes of accidents. Just this past week in Michigan there was a doctor and a star athlete at a local high school that were hurt trying to help at an accident scene. Car came up to the scene and crashed into the stopped vehicles hitting these two trying to help. Both in critical condition last I heard. RIP Steve. Cycling icon. Matthew

[ptourkin]

Seth has a good personal perspective: https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2017...-stage-center/

[bocobiking]

Never met him, but read his blog every day.

I feel so bad for his wife, his friends, his dog. But I want to spend a minute mourning for us, his readers. There is no regular voice in the whole of the cycling scene that has spoken for and inspired me so much. To me, a seventy-year-old cyclist, he spoke for an active life full of vigor. He represented a life based around cycling but also around good friends, work with one's hands, loyalty, unpretentiousness, fair play, and so much more. He talked about what I have known for many years: cycling must be daily activity at all costs, for it keeps one sane, healthy, balanced. To read his blog was to know that I am not alone in this passion.

His experience bridged the gap between the current cycling scene and cycling' s roots in the United States. To those of us who have lived through this tradition, he was an articulate connection. His stories of past races and racers, his strong opinions about racing, and his narration of current races all captivated me even though I have never raced but only been a fan.

As a person who has spent a good part of my life studying the art of writing, I have often laughed at those who have criticized him for his proofreading mistakes, while missing his art. He wrote with a unique, unmistakable voice, the voice of a common man talking about and musing on everyday life. It is a voice that attracted countless readers. To those of you who think this is not difficult, I urge you to try it, and to keep it up daily, for years.

In his assuming way, he was a phenomenal person, perhaps taken too much for granted.

[Tommasini53]

Thankfully he shared his life experiences with the world through his blog. We joked that he needed to write a book. Unfortunately he was not the type that would sit still to do that so we will miss some of those adventures he could write about in a book.

His blog contains great lessons about life and living life. As wonderful as his blog and its lessons are talking with him on a training ride was an order of magnitude to his blog posts. Like many cyclists in our town I am thankful to be a recipient of his help and advice on those rides as it has improved my life (not just my cycling life). He certainly influenced the way I live life.

[thunderworks]

Originally Posted by bocobiking

Never met him, but read his blog every day.

I feel so bad for his wife, his friends, his dog. But I want to spend a minute mourning for us, his readers. There is no regular voice in the whole of the cycling scene that has spoken for and inspired me so much. To me, a seventy-year-old cyclist, he spoke for an active life full of vigor. He represented a life based around cycling but also around good friends, work with one's hands, loyalty, unpretentiousness, fair play, and so much more. He talked about what I have known for many years: cycling must be daily activity at all costs, for it keeps one sane, healthy, balanced. To read his blog was to know that I am not alone in this passion.

His experience bridged the gap between the current cycling scene and cycling' s roots in the United States. To those of us who have lived through this tradition, he was an articulate connection. His stories of past races and racers, his strong opinions about racing, and his narration of current races all captivated me even though I have never raced but only been a fan.

As a person who has spent a good part of my life studying the art of writing, I have often laughed at those who have criticized him for his proofreading mistakes, while missing his art. He wrote with a unique, unmistakable voice, the voice of a common man talking about and musing on everyday life. It is a voice that attracted countless readers. To those of you who think this is not difficult, I urge you to try it, and to keep it up daily, for years.

In his assuming way, he was a phenomenal person, perhaps taken too much for granted.

+1 !!! Really excellent post. Thank you.

[SpeedyChix]

bocobiking Thank you writing this. An excellent description and encouragement.

[Mikej]

Well put boco - I didn't know how to say it -thanks. RIP Steve -