We ride in celebration of the life of Kevin Lee Peters, whom we knew primarily as a superb athlete--first a college football player, then a bodybuilder, and most recently, a mountain biker. He looked like Schwarzenegger would after a couple of years of breaking rocks in Siberia. Long and spare, but ripped to shreds. Seemingly indestructible.15121512Much more than a physical presence, he was a father, husband, brother, son, and an inspiration to those he worked with. He had a light that people wanted to follow, even when he hammered up a mountain in the big ring.  His enormous ability and indomitable will were untainted by arrogance. If you talked to him for ten minutes, he spent nine finding out what interested you.  He was tolerant of just about everything except whining. He would have been a great role model for his grandchildren. 15121512Last August, he was struck and killed by a motorist while training on his road bike. We had been trying to talk him into a 24-hour race. He should be riding Snowshoe this year. He should be tucking his daughters into bed tonight. He should be alive. 15121512If he were, I know what he’d say: ride with every fiber of your being; not just your legs and lungs, but your soul. He always did.