| Message | Nick and I met at the edge of the soccer field, when for one season our sons played in the same team. Mutually delighted to have found a partner we could talk cycling with, we had an instant click. I advised him about riding in the French Alps, wishing I could join him there. I actually rode with him just once. He impressed me. As it turns out, he was in between jobs and in that situation took his sport more seriously than ever. I never quite understood why he refused to join the Ranchos, but never lost hope either that some day we would ride together more frequently. He will be dearly missed - on the road, in the boastful chatter that goes with it, and everywhere else. To judge by the photos, he was a better cycling dad than I am. I never made it all the way to the desert on bikes with Mendel. Our thoughts and feelings (Mendel’s too) are with the family. |