The mountain biking community lost a mountain of a biker today.  Steve Tilford was in his late 50’s and still vying for the overall win at major mountain bike races all around the country.  I was spurred on by the hope he gave me that we can still be badass at our age.  I was also pissed that he was in my age bracket!  

Not really, I was proud to stand next to him on the podium a couple years ago.  I think I might have wigged him out as the weird guy pulling him close for the photos.

He bounced back from a very bad road bike crash about a year ago and seemed to be back at his old game again.

Very recently, while driving back from a training camp in California late at night with a buddy.  Their van ran into an overturned tractor trailer laying across the highway.  The two of them survived the initial crash relatively unhurt.  A little later, Steve was struck and killed by another truck that failed to see the wreckage.

This tragedy makes me sad.  This tragedy also makes me feel like I am not alone suffering some unfair fate.  We are all in this together.  All of us have to deal with loss and the loss of ourselves at some unknown time.  Therefore, celebrate each day as another day of enjoyment of the people, the world and mostly good experiences.