Bob was a fellow Friday Rider that you all probably remember and were inspired by his awesome power. He raced Cat2 50+ and has some impressive stats online. He won the sprint many times, even after his surgery. Probably the oldest rider to win the sprint multiple times. From his brother Jim, here is some info about Bob’s passing.
Good Friends, Fellow Cyclists, Inspirations,
After a day of of disbelief, a sleepless night, waking at 2:45 am which is when i need to leave to meet Bobbie to ride w him on his commute to work, it hit me again that i had lost my little brother.
He had been training really hard all last year after having a 10cm bypass of his illiac artery, which had been blocked for about 6 months but did not keep him from riding one-legged. After his surgery he kept increasing his training gradually to the point where now he was back training and racing like his old self (3) races in a day. He had trained hard all week and instead of going to tucson w me to race he was really excited to do bike ranch A group on saturday on tandem with his friend Jackie. She has been improving tremendously and he wanted to show her how strong they would be on the tandem. They had a great 3-4 hr ride and had dropped all in the pack but 4 National team guys and they stayed away. He had pushed really hard saturday but wanted to back it up with doing the tandem again on sunday and wanted to do the 74 mile tour de phx course in under 3 hrs. about the same time we did several years ago to win the TDP. Dick Snyder and i met them and pretty much only held their wheel to Ftn Hills where they dropped us climbing to Pallisades. As we got close to the Beeline i did a 42 mph (downhill) sprint to get in front of them for the first time of the day. Climbing towards Saguaro Lake we finally cried uncle and Dick and i said goodbye and turned around. Bobbie had been having chest pains on really cold rides that would make him let go of the bars and clutch his chest. It happened again couple weeks ago at the 12 hrs of Papago race he did with Bob Laroche. He was riding as strong as ever this day and they had made it up Usury Pass and were heading back on McDowell rd when he asked Jackie if she was pushing cause he was really feeling it. Shortly after that he just fell over and died. She has a lot of road rash but is ok. We do not know for sure but he may have been having several heart-attaches but is in such great shape that it only made him hesitate for a few seconds then return to being Bubba Power. This one was a big one though and for the first time in my life my brother did not get up from it. I’ve seen him crash as a kid pick up his teeth and bike and walk home, or jog 10-15 miles home after being left at the salt river. Bobbie was the toughest person i know and i cannot believe anything could stop him.
You are receiving this email from me and i must say this is only the people i had addresses for as their are so many more of you out there that i know my little brother had loved, respected, been inspired by, been encouraged and enriched for knowing you and to have so many wonderful memories on the bike. So many of you have helped and supported my brother over the years to stay on the bike, race, be the best he could be no matter what life threw his way. I wanted to personally thank you and remind you of how much he appreciated all of you, your kind words, your competitive spirits, good sportsmanship, your generosity etc.
Often on long rides especially when on the tandem where i was stoker and thus could keep up with him we would talk and your names would come up as he would fondly remember and share so many thoughts and stories of rides with you. Cycling was his life and you were a big part of that.
I encourage you to remember him not in sadness but with a big smile like he always had especially when he was going all out!
Jim
