Here is the full text of the message left by one of the friends of Dennis Crowley.
Name: | Jeff Sewell |
Location: | Sierra Madre CA |
Message: | Ever notice that Dennis’s listing in the phone book was Dennis Crowley Bike? Hard core cyclist to the bone when your surname is BIKE. I am filled with such sadness- especially because we never got back out too the Rose Bowl to pedal some easy laps. I’d call every couple of weeks urging Dennis to join me, but his cup runneth over. In recent weeks and months, his custom-rigged Ducati was understandably the apple in his eye. Prior to becoming Pasadena’s leading bike advocate, Dennis was a passionate road-bike racer and prominent member of the peloton. However, he was also something of a pioneering mountain biker (the sport being relatively new- born in the late 70’s and early 80’s). Dennis’s technical trail riding skills amazed me in those early days (late 80’s); a testament to his thousands of hours on a road bike. So while many of you shared the wonderful hours with Dennis involved in bike politics, Pasadena bike events, road biking, SAAB driving, socializing or whatnot… for me, back in the day, Dennis was the perfect mountain biking playmate. Robin (Dennis’s long-time beau) wrote about his fight with cancer in Pasadena Star-News comments section. From out of the blue, Dennis was struck with a virulent cancer of the throat (’85). Robin says the doctors gave him one year to live. Yet, Dennis BEAT the cancer. And came back just about as strong as ever (those mountain bike rides we did were fast affairs, and this was 3, 4, 5 years post-recovery…). When Dennis was feeling sorrowful the night he broke his ankle mountain biking, I consoled him by reminding him this was child’s play compared to what he already had been through with the cancer. We all share a huge loss. I hope we can celebrate and honor his life by helping achieve his long-held dreams for a more bike-friendly Pasadena. |