Racer Steve Larsen Dies

BEND, OR (BRAIN)—Steve Larsen died Tuesday night after finishing a run on the track near his home in Bend, Oregon. An exact cause of death isn't known at this time. He was 39 years old. A former professional road and mountain bike racer and triathlete, Larsen also once owned a bike shop in his native Davis, California, called Wheelworks, which is still in operation today. He had renamed it Steve Larsen’s Wheelworks. “I just did a bike ride with him at Sea Otter,” said Sean “Wattie” Watkins, vice president of sales and marketing at Triathlete magazine. “It’s a shock to all of us here. He was a friend to everyone at the magazine.” Larsen sold Wheelworks about five years ago and relocated with his wife and kids to Bend, where he opened a commercial real estate business, while still competing in races on an amateur level. “It’s hard to believe that this could happen to a guy that is that healthy and together,” said Scott Montgomery, general manager and vice president of Scott USA’s bike division. Montgomery said he had known Larsen for more than 10 years, and that Larsen actually played an instrumental part four years back in the development of the Scott Plasma tri bike. “He was really gracious about helping us out,” Montgomery said. His most recent venture was starting an online tri shop, www.worldtri.com. He is survived by his wife, Carrie, and five kids. For more on the life of Steve Larsen, be sure to read the June 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. (PHOTO courtesy of Triathlete magazine) —Jason Norman