Memorium

It's been hard for me to write since hearing about the tragic death of Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson. My words can't capture the horror people must have felt that day on the ride when the Sheriff's car careened into the group of three or the sadness at the loss of such talent. For cyclists, we know that we take that chance almost every time we go out, yet we go anyway. After hearing about it, I immediately imagined the times I've been spinning up some lonely hill around a blind corner a little too fast, a little too close to the center line-- imagining all of the close calls that I have had. We delude ourselves into thinking that there is a way to avoid an accident like that. People want to place blame because we are trying to create meaning out of meaninglessness; that somehow we have power over our fates. It's a humbling reminder of our mortality and how damn lucky we are to have every day. We are all fragile but incredibly resilient at the same time.

I raced with Kristy twice this year. At the Snelling road race, she made the most gutsy attack I have ever seen, straight into a brutal headwind on the bumpy section before the finish. No one could stay with her, and she rode solo for three laps to win. She did that in every race she competed in this year. I have never seen a gift like hers.