Whether you knew him as Spence, Dr. Annabel, Doc, Major, or dad, my father loved you, much as he loved this community. So many friends spent time with my father during his last difficult months, weeks, days, and hours. My family thanks you. It meant the world to him, as it does to us…

Of all the stories I wish I had time to share about my twelve days and nights on the Arizona Trail this fall, this one screamed the loudest to be told. It is a story of brotherhood, and the night bikepack racing as we know it almost ceased to exist…

I messed up during the 2023 Colorado Trail Race. It was bad. I lost control of the only thing I could control out there – myself. Yet in every failure lies a lesson. I discovered what lies beyond my breaking point and suffered the consequences of visiting that place. I found great power in that knowing.

Clean. Carry. Roll. Curse. Repeat. I spent 3.5 hours battling 2.5 miles in this fashion. Around 9am, the mud got dry enough to roll, then firm enough to ride. I stood on my right pedal. It went all the way to the to the ground. With great finality, the mighty Badger had been reduced to an awkward 50 pound scooter.

He had round sunglasses, a dark mustachio, and a golden ponytail that rose improbably out of the back of his helmet like a horse lifting its flyswatter to take a shit. He was a thinking man of curious questions and unusual answers; a savant of sorts; and possible candidate for most interesting man on the Colorado Plateau. We never learned his name (our deep regret) but decided afterward he probably didn't have one…

Most call him, “Doc.” A few call him Spence. I call him dad.

I spent today at my home in Colorado. Yet my heart and mind were 1,500 miles away, riding bikes with him; an ever less likely possibility; temporarily waylaid by the latest pre-school virus.

In the end - I made it - to both the start, and the finish, of the 2022 Colorado Trail Race. A month later that feels like the most trivial outcome of my journey.

The most significant? I felt the collective flame of humanity work to overcome the darkness. It was a soul-searing experience. Raw. Powerful. And yes, “life-changing” in ways I am still struggling to process.