A FALLEN HERO

Can’t quite get my head wrapped around the death of a friend, a fellow teammate.. who embodied all that I love in mountain biking and racing - he was fast..very fast. He was cool.. very cool. And he loved riding.

I joined the TASCO-MTB race team about five years ago and I used to call it the team of misfits - I didn’t know them very well and we didn’t look like ‘racers’ but we all loved riding our bikes and we were pretty good at riding them. We were short, tall, skinny and thick, but we all had large smiles and that was our common thread right there. I identified as a TASCO-MTB racer and was always proud of representing. I met Nate long before in Downieville, CA at the iconic race and we quickly became friends. Fast forward 5 years and he has created a local company that is growing every year and he has authentic, genuine racers representing his brand.

And now, one of our own has fallen and it breaks my heart for so many reasons. We aren’t suppose to die on the road - WE ARE MOUNTAIN BIKERS! But Kevin was also a road rider and was used to riding fast on the street. But on this day, he was on the road .. and Kevin was wicked fast and wicked skilled.. what the hell!! And he loved his family and he had his baby boy! My heart can’t accept all this.

What my heart has accepted has been the weaving of riders who are all connected in so many ways. I used to imagine it like a patchkit where we are connected, but it's more like a complicated basket weave where are strength is from our individual connections and unity. Roadies. gravel riders, downhillers, mountain bikers - we are connected. My riding was always so personal and my own and through the team, I came to realize they were more like me. But then as I realized they were more like me, I realized there was another world and this world is huge and amazing.

Kevin..you touched so many lives with your badass and no-nonsense way. You embody all that I admire in riding - skill, style, and passion. I still can’t believe you aren’t with us and I won’t share another laugh with you at the TASCO tent. You have shown me the power of our community. It was an honor to know you.