July 7th, 2024, just a few weeks shy of his 83rd birthday, Peter Rich sustained a fall that resulted in a left-side broken femur. Peter very much wanted to return home post-surgery and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, Peter contracted pneumonia on July 28th while at a Concord rehabilitation facility and his health dramatically declined. On August 3rd Peter passed away gently with his wife Rose Marie and his daughter Julie by his side. Your contributions will help cover medical bills and memorial expenses. This June, Peter was voted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame as a Contributor to the sport of cycling as one of four Inductees for 2024. Here is the description that accompanied the announcement: “Peter Rich has been an influential visionary in American cycling. From founding a newsletter in 1961 that became “Bicycling Magazine” to starting the first international stage race in the US (the first Tour of California stage race in 1971), Rich pioneered many ideas for modern US cycling. He helped build early US-made racing frames while mentoring many custom frame builders. He developed, mentored, and supported several crucial American champion cyclists as well as pioneered radical (at the time) training ideas such as cross-training with weight training for road cyclists.” From a history of Berkeley cycling: “Velo Club Berkeley was started by Peter Rich looking to field a team for the original, 1971, Tour of California. Rich had a long and active history in cycling. He opened the Velo Sport bicycle shop in 1962 and was the promoter of the original Tour of California. It was an eight-day, ten stage-race across the state. Rich was a passionate cyclist and former racer in the fifties and early sixties including competing in Italy and Belgium. He promoted the Berkeley Hills Road Race starting in 1957, now one of the longest-running bike races in the country. It was Rich who gave support by providing lodging to [George] Mount in that upstairs apartment above his shop. Rich coached many young East Bay riders at Hellyer Park Velodrome, the polo fields in San Francisco and on the roads of the East Bay. His love for cycling helped propel cycling in Northern California and the United States.” https://rayhosler.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/peter-rich-remembers-the-tour-of-california/ Testimonial from Gary Fitts, friend and horse owner: “One day in 2004 I took my beautiful old Italian racing bike into Peter's Velo Sport, and I learned that Peter was not only the godfather of California bicycle racing, but that he also had a farm in the Orinda Hills to breed and train Arabian endurance race horses. In return for training and exercising his horses, he gave a generation of riders access to some of the best horses on earth. For many years, "Bay Laurel Arabians" was one of the top endurance barns in the country. The high point of the year was always the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile race through the Sierras on rugged backcountry trails, the Kentucky Derby of endurance riding. One year Bay Laurel riders took four of the top ten places. Riders came from all over the world [including the director of the Tokyo Zoo], to lease Bay Laurel horses for the event, and we all participated either as riders or as crew. Peter himself finished the race five times. All of us who ride a bicycle or a horse in California are beneficiaries of Peter's efforts to promote the sports he loved.” This fund was organized by Peter’s bicycling and equestrian friends who have been inspired, supported and encouraged by his excellence and substantial contributions to two sports. Updates on Peter’s condition are provided by Julie Peterson (Peter’s daughter).
Artículos relacionados
