Toasting Dan
January 23, 2021

Dan McGuire's Zoom Memorial
by Eric Fergusson

BC Randonneurs co-founder and gentle cycling legend Dan McGuire's life was celebrated on zoom yesterday. There were about 120 participating devices, many of which included multiple people, so the attendance was probably around 200. The event was about two hours long and and included live music, slide shows, a selection from Stewart McLean's Vinyl Cafe episode featuring Dan, and refections from people close to, and inspired by Dan. We all owe thanks to Dan's daughter Tara for organizing and guiding us through the event.

It was a little hard to tell how many BC Randonneurs attended because participants don't always use their full or actual names or show themselves, but I counted 25 for sures and maybe another 5-10 maybes. I also don't know all of the riders from the 1980s, so maybe there were a few more that I didn't recognize.

Dan was one of the original four Canadians at PBP 1979, and was co-founders of randonneur cycling in BC. Over the next decades he did a lot of work behind the scenes developing the club and the sport, including establishing the first Fleche Velocio 24-hour team event outside of France in 1989. Maybe one day we will be able to ride this again...

Dan is best know to a broader public for his criss crossing Canada cycling odyssey which he did in his early 80s after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. I mentioned above Stewart McLean's feature of Dan. It is Stewart's signature interpretation of Tara's written account of Dan's journey. It's must listening. See links below.

January 24, 2021