Steve Tilford

[rzthomas]

According to Steve Tilford's blog, he was in a car accident last night and has passed away. No details yet, but what a devastating loss.

[rzthomas]

And here's the post on the website: http://stevetilford.com/2017/04/05/bad-news/

[kppolich]

Very sad, I just saw Steve at Jingle Cross this year and he was still banging it out for most of the race. He was just back on the mend and getting his milage back up too.

[coffeecake]

That is tragic. Wow.

Reading Steve's blog was a daily activity for me. I did not know him, but sure felt like I did through his posts.

What a loss. RIP.

[soulspinner]

Horrible

[sales guy]

This is sad and crazy all at the same time.

[David Kirk]

Now that sucks. I'm so very sorry to read this.

dave

[Caballero]

Very sad to have read that

[hollowgram5]

I couldn't believe it when I read it this morning.. Its hard to fathom and is extremely sad.

[Elefantino]

Agree with what's been said. Horribly sad.

[Hawker]

Wow...what very sad news. Prayers for friends and family.

[thwart]

What a terrible year... the TBI and slow recovery, now the end.

Always had an interesting thing to say. He will be missed by many.

[merlinmurph]

Talk about a legend.
He had so many more stories to tell us.
RIP Steve, we'll miss you terribly

[RobJ]

Sad news. Just as he was recovering from his head injury. RIP.

[benb]

Wow, and looks like they were just driving in the truck, when I saw this I thought they must have gotten taken out when cycling. :(

[54ny77]

Terrible tragedy.

He sure seems to have lived his life on his own terms. And by all appearances a rich life indeed.

Godspeed and tailwinds.

And sincere condolences to friends and family.

[drewskey]

News article says he was struck by a second semi.... this is terrible.


http://www.sltrib.com/news/5141593-155/two-dead-in-crash-of-semis

[54ny77]

Good god. Awful.

[2metalhips]

No! Oh man, I read his blog every day. RIP Steve.

[fiamme red]

RIP. :(

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/steve-tilford-dies-in-car-accident/

Vincent Davis, who was a passenger in the van that Tilford was driving, confirmed the death to Cyclingnews.

The pair were driving back to Davis' home in Denver, Colorado in I-70 East when their van collided with a tractor trailer carrying boxes of goods that had tipped over across the highway.

"Steve was driving, and I was in the passenger seat dozing when something woke me up – I looked up and thought we were running into a wall," Davis told Cyclingnews. "We hit the side of the truck and went through the trailer and out the top. It was only carrying boxes, so we were hurt but OK.

"I walked up the road to a pick-up truck that had stopped and was sitting inside making calls because it was cold out, and then I heard screaming – another semi had plowed into the van, and Steve was back there."

[Corso]

Awful simply awful…godspeed and best wishes...

[wpod]

Horrible and tragic, RIP and know you will be missed by many.

[Schmed]

It sounds like he lived the way he wanted with no regrets and a ton of passion, and for that, he leaves a legacy and a lesson to us all.

[commonguy001]

Wow, what a horrible night. RIP Steve and the other driver killed.

[azrider]

Good grief. What a tragedy. Dude definitely lived by his own set of rules.

May he rest in peace.

[SPOKE]

Very sad to hear about this. Prayers for him and his family.

[benb]

Easy to forget he had just had a terrible head injury last year too, nobody deserves any of this.

[SpeedyChix]

crushing.

[John H.]

Sad...

But as other have said, he lived a full life on his own terms.

He was the best of friends to his friends, and was an animal lover-

Godspeed Steve

[redir]

RIP Champ. What a terrible loss. Condolences.

[mcteague]

What a blow! I just checked his website early this morning and saw it was down. I've been following his recovery from a brain injury and he really seemed to be making great progress.

Tim

[wallymann]

OMG...i've been following tilford's career since back in the day, and more recently following his life experiences on his blog, i felt like i kinda knew the guy and certainly learned alot...he was recovering from a massive life-threatening head-injury last year, and now this...the cycling world lost someone special. RIP steve.

[shovelhd]

Awful. Rest in Peace, Steve. God Bless you Trudy.

[rePhil]

That literally made me ill. Steve and I had been exchanging e mails swapping recovery stories from crashing. Wow, just wow.

[Black Dog]

This is sad news indeed. Folks, if you are ever in an accident like this get away from your vehicle as soon as you can and move to a safe place until the scene has been secured by 1st responders. I lost some family members this way. It is such a sad loss.

[crankles]

Goddamit. I will miss you Steve.

[72gmc]

They found Tucker.

A bit of very good news on a sad day.

[azrider]

This is sad news indeed. Folks, if you are ever in an accident like this get away from your vehicle as soon as you can and move to a safe place until the scene has been secured by 1st responders. I lost some family members this way. It is such a sad loss.

Great advice.

On my commute home last night there was a man fixing flat on his minivan while his toddler stood next to him and the mom holding an infant was standing directly behind vehicle.....all while cars whizzed by at 80mph +

Gutted about Steve. An icon of American racing atmo

[Tandem Rider]

I'm so sorry and so sad right now. I met Steve when we were both racing Juniors, he was able to figure out how to keep living his dream. The rest of us got jobs, had kids, etc. I think we were all a little envious, lived his life his own way.

I'm not a hocus pocus kind of guy, but I woke up at 1:20 am this morning with a start, stomach churning, unable to go back to sleep. I'm going to miss seeing him at the races again.

[the bottle ride]

So sad- I can't believe it
I read his blog every day
Makes the heart hurt

[soulspinner]

This is sad news indeed. Folks, if you are ever in an accident like this get away from your vehicle as soon as you can and move to a safe place until the scene has been secured by 1st responders. I lost some family members this way. It is such a sad loss.

yup had a friend struck looking for an earring after she had an accident.

[moobikes]

<<https://truebs.com/some-of-my-writing/short-nonfiction/steve-tilford-is-why-we-ride/>>

[rsandoval75002]

RIP Steve

[OperaLover]

Cycling idol from my youth. RIP Steve. My prayers for your family and friends.

[fiamme red]

This is sad news indeed. Folks, if you are ever in an accident like this get away from your vehicle as soon as you can and move to a safe place until the scene has been secured by 1st responders. I lost some family members this way. It is such a sad loss.A cousin of mine was in a situation like this and was very lucky that he wasn't killed. Unfortunately, he did lose a leg.

[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]

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/2017/04/06/exit-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]

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 -

[Jdg68]

Agree; thank you bocobiking for your post which articulates what I feel as well. Like many others I did not know Steve personally but read his posts often, usually daily. I was stunned to hear of his passing.
Motivates me to live each day to the fullest as clearly he did.

[kppolich]

I had the pleasure watching Steve race twice last year before his THI. One crit in Des Moines and a CX race at Jingle Cross. He raced with the P12's and not the old guys. Man, that guy will be missed.

2 of my favorite quotes form this article:
https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/exit-stage-center/

Quotes:
"And what he did, mostly, was whip ass. His, hers, yours, mine, everyone’s. The first and only time we rode together was on the Donut Ride in 2015. He had come out to be a guest speaker for our annual awards ceremony, and that morning we had our weekly slugfest. Word was out that Tilford was in town, and quite a bit of heavy artillery had been rolled into position. Steve made short work of everyone, “everyone” being at least twenty years younger."

and

"He called dopers what they were, shrugged, and raced his fuggin’ bike."

[Schmed]

I've been trying to imagine the scene and how they possibly drove "through" a semi trailer and survived the initial impact. This news site has a few pics of the trailer and Steve and Vincent's Sprinter van.

I drive that section of I70 ever month, and also drive a Sprinter van, so this accident hits a bit close to home, so to speak. That section of I70 is between Fruita and the turn-off for Moab. It's long and boring and 80 mph speed limit. I normally drive 70-75 mpg because the mileage on a 9' tall van really drops off at 80 mph. There are a bunch of long, rolling hills, and typically, a lot of wind.

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=43756888&nid=148&title=champion-mountain-biker-truck-driver-killed-in-i-70-crash

I never met Steve Tilford, but reading his blog and the stories of his life really add to the sadness of his passing. But... he has one post on his blog site that is titled "Thinking about dying" and he doesn't elaborate too much about his thoughts about dying, except for a short line about "no regrets". From my perspective, he certainly did live a full life and should not have any regrets, and that's a great lesson for me.

[Repack Rider]

Here is Steve and a few of the mountain bike elite from 1984. Photo is from Crested Butte, and ran on the cover of the Fat Tire Flyer magazine. From left, Jimmy Deaton, Gavin Chilcott, Alan Ott, Sandy Hague, Dave McLaughlin, Sandy Chapman, Steve Tilford.

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/repackrider/Miscellaneous%20images/scan0118%202_zpsa9op7p36.jpg (http://s419.photobucket.com/user/repackrider/media/Miscellaneous%20images/scan0118%202_zpsa9op7p36.jpg.html)

[KSCycling]

I'm a Kansas resident and I got the privilege to watch him crush the best talent in this area.

I'm fairly new to cycling, and I've only been racing crits for the last 2 years. Now I'm a Cat 2 racer and was really hoping to line up against Steve. When he had his TBI, I was bummed he may never race again. He indeed did race again and beat a domestic pro.

Now that he's gone, I'm deeply sadden for him and his family. He was much more to the cycling community than just a talented racer, as we all know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Satellite]

Oh my Iam devistated. Steve is one of the good guys. He was an old friend and the nicest guy. Then he would rip your legs off on a mountain bike. RIP my friend!

[clyde the point]

Great pic Kelly. Thanks for posting.

[Tommasini53]

Seth Davidson traveled halfway across the country and gave a wonderful eulogy at a gathering of Steve's friends and family. He posted it at his blog. Sit, take a moment and read.

https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/a-toast-to-tilford/

Thank you Seth.