When I read that Sheldon Brown died this morning of a ‘massive heart attack,’ I had to take a break and go ride my bike for a bit. I only knew him on the internet, but he was “bicycling on the internet.” I feel for his family, and the people whose lives he was a part of in a more tangible way. That just sucks.
For us internet bike geeks, he really was a great personality, helpful and kind. He was directly responsible for me putting together my first fixed gear bicycle, and (I believe) a direct inspiration for the design of Quickbeam. How many bicycles and bicyclists did he inspire? 10,000?
What a loss.
I was bummed out all day, and tonight after dinner I semi-idly clicked into the new Facebook account I set up to reconnect with some old friends, and WHUF there was Sheldon’s smiling face. He’d befriendstered me over the weekend. It made me really sad, but it also kind of encapsulated his spirit – befriending people right up to the end.
