Jenn: I don't want to believe Mike Hall is gone

We are just gutted to hear of Mike Hall’s tragic passing while racing the Indian Pacific Wheel Race this morning. The last thing I did before I closed my eyes last night was to check his dot on the Indian Pacific Wheel Race tracker. As all of the messages pouring in on social media are saying, he was a legend and an inspiration. And although we didn’t know him personally, his quiet down-to-earth manner in the films we’ve watched (i.e., Ride the Divide; Inspired to Ride) somehow made us feel like he was a friend we had gotten to know over the last few years.

It really makes us think about the nature of road cycling and some of our aspirations for endurance cycling. Coupled with John’s accident last year, it seems there is a clear message about motorized vehicles and bicycles that we are meant to learn. John and I disagree on this somewhat, but we do agree that I was likely more traumatized from his accident having to watch it from my vantage point (while he is saved by his memory loss and the great drugs and care he got in the emergency room!) Regardless, Mike's death is another shocking reminder of how quickly it can all be taken away.

We will be thinking of Mike on our future rides and won’t forget what he has done for the world of endurance cycling and mountain biking.

​RIP Mike