This one is for you Phil

Later today I will be going to a Memorial held at my favorite coffee shop for a fellow regular, Phil Yates, who passed away in December after a long battle with cancer.   I met Phil about 12 years ago as our paths crossed regularly at C&P.  I found out he was an ex-Marine, had worked on the Alaska pipeline, was a excellent finish carpenter, that's how he made his living, and most importantly he was an avid cyclist.

Phil and his lovely partner Jennifer

Besides having excellent taste in coffee shops we bonded over cycling.  From Spring to Fall we had races to discuss and in his younger days he had been an amateur racer so I would get stories about training on a fixie in the winter, racing at the velodrome, and he knew just about anyone who was anybody in the Seattle cycling scene over that last 40 years.  He wrote a pamphlet on training back in the 70's and toured shops in the west giving talks about it.  He was a serious enough Roadie that his last frame was Titanium.


Phil was a lovable curmudgeon, he could discuss a wide range of topics and didn't put up with any BS, while still being kind to dogs and children.   In the face of cancer he was positive, fought hard and even managed to be stylish.  He used a walking stick in lieu of a cane and it looked like Gandalf's staff and to keep his head warm he wore a Basque beret that a Spanish ex-pat and C&P regular had shipped to him,

He was well loved at C&P so its fitting that is where his friends will gather today to say goodbye.  When the weather broke earlier today and the sun peaked out I took it as a sign I should go for a ride and honor Phil by doing something we both loved.   This ride is for you Phil.