One problem with aging is losing friends, many of whom are also aging.  It somehow seems more acceptable to lose a friend who has lived a long life.

But we lost a friend July 12, John Weissenrieder, who at 53 had not yet lived very many years, and certainly not enough years.  He did live full years, however, and I think his ingrained nature, his kind, patient, gentle, and measured approach to everything, must have given him the quiet pleasure of many years of happiness and contentment and accomplishment.

We knew him personally because he sometimes guided bike tours in Italy with Andy Hampsten's Cinghiale Tours.  He was unassuming, and when we first met him (in Firenze SMN station, to entrain to the start of a Cinghiale tour), we were interested to find that our guide had a steel bike with straight handlebars, and flat pedals with no cleats.  Maybe not many gears, either.  How was this pleasant, but unassuming, person going to guide us, or even keep up with all the highly kitted, high-spirited tour clients on their fancy race bikes?  How could he ascend steep Tuscany hills without clicking into his pedals, and with only 16 or 18 gears?  How, when need arose, could he be aero without drop bars?  We had been told he had ridden professionally, but how to square that with the quiet demeanor and town-like bike?  We soon found out.  John had an incredibly smooth, circular, powerful stroke.  I rode beside him up steep Tuscany hills and his un-cleated shoes never left his pedals.  He  was happy to ride toward the back, riding sweep; he felt no urge to impress with a blast of power, but he could easily move to the front when circumstances required, usually with one hand on the bars, the other holding a cellphone, talking with Andy or Elaine.  It was a pleasure to ride with him.

There was more, of course.  He was a patient and generous guide and pretty quiet.  So it took a while to find out he had been a pro for 12 years; that he was a highly respected luthier with his own atelier in Florence, near the Arno, where he built custom guitars that were treasured.    The link to his site is:   http://www.jwlutherie.com/  It was still active as of July 16.

Here are a few pictures of John, guiding for Andy on the Basilicata 2014 tour.  Thanks, John.  We'll miss you.

John with Rod Brown and traveling companion

Pacing tour riders and checking in while riding uphill

From a hotel balcony; he was driving van that day