in honor of Brett Jarolimek.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)
Wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with the words “No Blind Spots”, Cross Crusade founder Rick Potestio and race director Brad Ross said losing Brett Jarolimek was like losing “a member of the Cross Crusade family.”
Also speaking before a memorial lap was Bike Gallery’s Kris Schamp. He said,
“The Halloween Cross was one of Brett’s favorites, we’ll miss him here…but he’d want us to ride on, race on, and have fun while we’re at it.”
Following those words, hundreds of cyclists took part in a silent memorial lap in Brett’s honor (see video here). The lap was led out by Brett’s friends and his Team Bike Gallery teammates, many of them weary from the road after driving to Idaho for his funeral yesterday.
Some of Brett’s friends had made copies of his race number (800) and passed them out for all of us to wear in his honor. Below the number was a winged figure on a bike and the words,
The silent lap was a somber, yet powerful way to say goodbye to Brett and to remember what his life, and his death, mean to our community.
These past two weeks have taken a toll on many of us. And, while some things will never be the same again, especially for the families and friends of those we’ve lost, the undeniable spirit of the Cross Crusade will live on.
Brett, who dressed up as Captain Underpants at the Halloween Cross race last year, would surely have smiled at the abundance of spirit on display yesterday.
Words and photos can’t do the silly insanity justice. But I’ve tried to capture a bit of it in the slideshow below:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Thanks to everyone who makes the Cross Crusades much more than just another bike race.
Video: For video of the memorial lap, see CrankMyChain! Cycle TV.
Party: Check out Kenji’s slideshow for all the debauchery at Saturday night’s party.