Dave..

So, there is a guy here, an American, Dave Wittry. Dave maintains the blog for the Yangminshan Cycling Club that I found when I was planning my first trip here and was looking for people to ride with. My first contact I made with the local cycling scene was through Dave and my first ride here back in September he rode South a few miles to meet me and show me the way North to the usual meet spot for most rides around here. Dave is a teacher at the Taiwan American School.. his wife is Taiwanese and I think they have one child. The last few days we had been exchanging e-mails about my return here and I gave him some advice on a purchase of some race wheels he was considering. Dave, though a key figure in the local cycling scene is a bit new to it all.. and more of a tri-athlete guy.

So.. I just found out a little while ago that Dave drowned this morning. He had been down in the southern part of the Island with his family on holiday.. (chinese new year) and had gone out for a training swim with a friend. He got in to some difficulty and by the time the friend pulled him out of the ocean he was gone. I guess I'll find out more details in the next few days.. might even be attending some sort of service. Dave was super nice.. sweetest guy of the group here and really encouraging of bringing riders together. I did not know Dave that well, but it's still a little hard, I was expecting to see him on some rides soon... He will be greatly missed by the local cycling community here in Taipei.

That first ride I did back in September, I remember that Dave also stayed with me after everybody split up at the end of the ride. He took me through a bunch of back streets and shortcuts till he got me to a spot where I knew where I was and how to get home... he went way out of his way to take care of me.. it's still a little weird to think he died today.. he will be missed.