Allen first said Hi to me at a rest stop on Mines Road, where I was looking too tired and ragged on a Mt. Hamilton 200k event ~2002, then rode through at a steady pace for a while, even though he was much more fit. Allen seemed to teach by setting examples rather than saying a lot. We met again on a Davis Double, where he saw that the bunch we were trying to ride with was full of contentious egos, and separated himself from it. Good example that seemed to come naturally to him, much harder for some like myself to learn. Later after joining Alto Velo, I said to him that I felt ready to enter races, he steered me strongly to try San Ardo, saying its a good first road race for me. Turned out to be the most fun race I did. Allen also gave me a bag of bike saddles for loaning to others on the team, for them to try out before buying. I still have one of his old Specialized saddles, and used it for a couple of years. I remember a sushi and sake dinner after an indoor peloton spin session about five years ago, where the table conversation expanded outside of just biking and racing. Glad I got to know him a bit more like that. He was encouraging to keep working out to come back from a my broken leg, and don’t let the big ego gossip character attack type people bother me. Met him again, maybe last time I saw him, was when I was riding through casually on Canada on a weekend afternoon last year, and he was at his car after doing a tt workout. Another silent message, about finding time to ride regardless what else life may bring. The times I met up with Allen, and the bike riding smile we are all expressing remember him having, brings to mind the well known HG Wells quote, “”Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” I do despair that Allen isn’t part of it. Barry Burr
