To me a cycling ambassador is someone who soaks in all that is bike - it's history, machinery and cycling's glorious athletes. They appreciate how bikes can build a better world and bring joy to people. An ambassador doesn't have to be a great athlete themselves. They just have to have a passion for all that is cycling and a desire to share that with others.
By now, if you didn't already know, Robin Williams was a cycling ambassador. He boasted a collection of over 50 bikes and he rode them all. Frequenting bike shows and chatting with designers about their works of art. The local bike shop was his favorite place to hang. A Tour groupie and the funniest and most enthusiastic ambassador the sport has ever known. He was a star, and his celebrity and how he enjoyed bikes were interconnected. He was lucky that way. If I were that rich and famous you bet I would be velofied like Robin!
Williams understood the power of bikes. In 2002 following his last stint in drug rehab he replaced his previous addiction with cycling. Where once drugs provided relief to his internal struggles, a good ride would bring him joy He loved to shared that experience with everyone who would listen.
Stocky and short, Williams was not the perfect picture of the lean and light cyclist. Robin looked like an average man, but he was no poseur. Williams had a decent sprint and aspired to ride 100 miles every week even when on tour or set location. A bike or two were always with him and often he would give one away to a potential rider. On a group ride the conversation would always center around bikes.
As a child of the 1980s, I grew up on Robin William's comedy and later his immense ability to create some of the most dramatic moments on film. He will continue to inspire me with his talent and his deep love of cycling.
Nanu Nanu Robin. I hope you have found peace. You will always be cycling's greatest ambassador.
