![\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-18\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/c1ee85ff4b620140bfac7656dcd68f37.jpg?resize=840%2C560\" "\\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-18\\"")
<\/p>\nA wad of short blonde hair going in 27 different directionsu\u00a0nearly buried under\u00a0a pillow\u00a0was all that could be seen of\u00a0youngest son, Jake’s this\u00a0past Sunday at\u00a0 6:30AM when I went to wake him up. 13 year old boys are not fond of this time in the morning\u00a0and he fully looked the part of a coma rattled teenager when I rousted him out of dreamland.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We were headed out to Laguna Mountains for a different kind of bike ride.<\/p>\n
A few week ago a good friend of mine Cliff Walker made an unscheduled dismount from the ride of life.\u00a0\u00a0 I can’t use the word “close” and\u00a0\u00a0“dear” without feeling some sense of guilt.\u00a0\u00a0 Cliff had lots of friends who were much more involved with his day-to-day life than I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cliff was one of my “MTB Buds”.\u00a0 One of those friends that you primarily assoicate with while mountain biking.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We have done a couple of road trips and races together as well\u00a0as\u00a0many rides and some epics together.\u00a0\u00a0 A solid good person you just a joy to be around.<\/p>\n
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Jake and I were headed to the Laguna Mountains to\u00a0join some of Cliffs other friends for a\u00a0memorial ride.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Twenty-nine riders gathered up to take a spin\u00a0around\u00a0Big Laguna Meadow and honor Cliff’s Life.<\/p>\n
![\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-05\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/c14a338cede84d68e486600519b339d0.jpg?resize=840%2C560\" "\\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-05\\"")
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The ride was timed to end at about the same time that some of his family and no biking friends could gather up as well to celebrate Cliffs life.\u00a0\u00a0 The gathering swelled to over 70 people who sit under the shade of the meadow’s pine trees to share and tell stories about how Cliff had touched each of\u00a0thier lifes in some way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cliff had a very diverse group of friends and the stories about Cliff I had never before really showed just how impressive a life he lived and how he had touched so many people’s life in a positve way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-27\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/dc7fad3f7d9c42c0fe40b15cb73c55e0.jpg?resize=607%2C911\" "\\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-27\\"")
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There was more than a couple of stories that included Cliff’s perpencity to be the first person up the hill.\u00a0\u00a0 More than a few of us recalled getting up to the top of the hill to find Cliff walking around in circles looking under the various bushes and behind the\u00a0trees.\u00a0\u00a0 Once we questioned Cliff would look at you with this devilish smirk and\u00a0reply “I dropped a hammer have you seen it?”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was always good for a laugh and the celebration of his life gathering was no different.\u00a0\u00a0 A special thanks goes out to Chip Brent for making the celebration event happen.<\/p>\n
![\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-15\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/29b94ec243e7c54b1beb42d716a1a8c9.jpg?resize=840%2C560\" "\\"Cliff-Tribute-BLT-16SEP12-15\\"")
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Afterwards, Jake was down for just a father\/son ride.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The memorial ride was just along the meadow and he had not down some of the other trails in the area before.\u00a0\u00a0 We decided to add Wooded Hills and Los Gatos Ravine into the mix.\u00a0\u00a0 A pretty significant event happened on the Wooded Hills climb.\u00a0 Jake was riding strong and then you decided to see how quick he could go.\u00a0\u00a0 I saw him lift the pace and I was having a tough time matching it.\u00a0\u00a0 It was not long before kicked up the pace enough more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Jake-BNN-16SEP12-1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/773c3c6ced9e027123fb5d8ee386b9e9.jpg?resize=840%2C560\" "\\"Jake-BNN-16SEP12-1\\"")
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\u00a0I saw the half-sly turn his head to see how far back I was.\u00a0\u00a0 That was his moment.\u00a0 The moment when\u00a0a Son knows he is beating his Dad\u00a0something.\u00a0\u00a0 Not just something, but his Dad’s thing.\u00a0\u00a0 He knew he had me and he was not letting up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I knew he had me too, I was not going to catch him, the best I could do\u00a0give a good showing for second place.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was\u00a0weird mix of pride in my\u00a0Son\u00a0and a\u00a0relevation that I’m slacking.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sure I could make excuses and rationalize things like the fact I weigh about 90lbs more than he does and I did a respectable climb after a couple of beers at the celebration but no matter who you slice it my son kicked my ass up that hill.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I got to the top about 45 seconds behind Jake and he was already off the bike with his helmet off and was hoofing and puffing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After a bunch of praise from me, he looked a me with a very smirky look on his face and calmly said, “Yeah, I dropped a hammer. Did you see it?”<\/p>\n
![\"Jake-BNN-16SEP12-2\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/imagescaler\/a18d8d187e52643a18352366cfc6ea09.jpg?resize=840%2C560\" "\\"Jake-BNN-16SEP12-2\\"")
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