In remembrance...

Yesterday, a friend of our whole cycling community was killed while riding his bike. Jim (Jimmy) Rodgers used to be one of the owners the Tour of Nevada City Bike Shop and has been integral in forming local cycling teams and clubs.

I got the chance to ride with Jim in mid-December...what a great ride it was. We talked about the junior mountain bike club I have at Union Hill School, bikes that we have, had, and want, and riding in general. What a great ride that was. Jim was the guy to always greet you with a smile, no matter where you were. He had an infectious smile that just warmed your heart...genuine, he was always glad to see you.

It is Jim, and many like him, that make our sport what it is. Cycling is so much more than just riding a bike...it is fun, in the most basic sense of the word. Jim loved going out on group rides. He was the one to introduce himself to anyone new and strike up the conversation. How many friends have you made doing something you love to do? In my 20 years of cycling, I have made countless numbers of friends...friends that I don't see but 1 or 2 times a year on the starting line. But, we pick up right where we left off...talking about life and, of course, bikes. And, let's face it, making friends, and catching up with them once in a while, is fun.

Then, there are those times (most of the time for me) where you ride alone. Many would consider this a type of lonely unending torture. For me, it is bliss...a sort of meditation in the turning of the gears. How many times have I passed Jim, out on a ride of his own, we acknowledging each other with a wave and a smile...we acknowledged each other as friends, but also in the sense that we were doing what we loved.

As so many of Jim's teammates have expressed, our hearts have broken to know that we have lost a person so dear to us and the local cycling community. He was the best we had to offer...a gentleman cyclist that enjoyed every ride and the people on it.

Jimmy Rodgers will be missed. I hope his memory not only inspires people to be involved in the cycling community, but also inspires local cyclists to enjoy every ride...to have fun doing what they love.

Godspeed Jimmy,

Chuck