Steve Tilford, RIP

Steve and his longtime girlfriend, Trudi, in a photo I snapped at nationals in 2008.

We all knew this day was coming. In fact, some of us thought Steve might not survive a high-speed crash last fall when he was sprinting in a group ride and crashed on his head – while not wearing a helmet.

But Steve survived that traumatic brain injury and was showing great signs of getting back to normal. Just a few days ago, he rode 100 miles on gravel in California. He was headed back to Topeka early Wednesday morning when a semi in front of him overturned. He and his good friend, Vincent Davis, crashed into it, but were not seriously hurt. They were out surveying the damage and the wreckage when a second semi came upon them and smashed into the first accident. Steve was killed.

Vincent posted a few photos of the accident:

This is the original accident scene, an overturned semi, blocking the road.

The overturned semi looks to be carrying electronics equipment.

The sprinter van that Steve and Vincent were in, with wreckage from the semi they struck.

That is Steve, at right, in the last photo snapped before his death.

I have known Steve since my early days of racing in the mid-80s. I got to know him even better while officiating many races in the Midwest, including the Tour of Kansas City, in the early 90s through to 2007.  I often ran into him at races when I was working for the BMC Racing Team, which his longtime girlfriend and partner, Trudi, still works for as a soigneur.

One the legendary stories about Steve – that I had the pleasure of writing – happened in 2008 when he crashed into a frozen pond in 2006. The headline: "Tilford goes for a swim, comes back to win." I was officiating the race that day and saw it all happened. When I learned photographer Kurt Jambretz had photos, I called up Cyclingnews and VeloNews and told them I had a great story to share.

Steve was unlike any other the sport of cycling has ever seen. He had longevity, knowledge, strength, an uncanny sense of writing that made his blog so popular with so many. He was a bit of a gypsy, traveling around the country in his van, racing and riding his bike. And nearly always with a dog – either Bromont or lately, Tucker.

Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member, multi-time national champion in road racing and cyclocross, endurance athlete, ambassador for the sport, great man, super cyclist and good friend. You will be missed, Steve.

KDXU, News Talk 890: UHP reports two fatalities on I-70
Cyclingnews: Steve Tilford dies in car accident
VeloNews: Cycling world mourns Steve Tilford's death
Cyclocross Magazine: R.I.P. Steve Tilford
KSNT: Accident claims life of prominent bicyclist from Topeka
Bicycle Retailer: Veteran Pro Racer Steve Tilford Dies in Highway Accident