Thank you to Dan Porter at Your Group Ride for the original story and details.
Sunday afternoon brought tragedy to the Fort Collins cycling community. At approximately 1:21 p.m. on Larimer County Road 38E near Horsetooth Mountain Park, a cyclist was killed and a motorcyclist seriously injured in a collision. According to investigators and witness accounts confirmed by the Colorado State Patrol, both were traveling eastbound and climbing toward the park near Milner Mountain Ranch. The posted speed limit in that area is 45 mph, and the curve where the crash occurred is a gentle left-hand bend.
The motorcyclist, riding a Honda CMX1100, attempted to pass another motorcycle as they approached the curve. Unable to negotiate the turn, the rider veered onto the right shoulder, striking the cyclist. The bicycle came to rest in the grassy area beside the road, while the motorcycle continued across the roadway, left the pavement, and tumbled before stopping. The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The 61-year-old motorcyclist was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with serious injuries. The road remained closed for several hours during the investigation.
We now know that the cyclist who lost his life was Ian Dickinson. Ian had set out on his usual morning ride, something he’d done nearly every day since retiring from Hewlett-Packard in 2020. Tragically, he did not return home to his wife, Vivienne.
Ian was a cornerstone of the Fort Collins cycling community. For more than 15 years, he had been an active participant in the Tuesday/Friday Ride (TFr) group, and he served as the Friday ride leader for over a decade. Alongside Steve Douglas, Ian helped cultivate a warm, welcoming, and safety-conscious riding culture that became the hallmark of the group.
Originally from Bradley Stoke near Bristol in the UK, Ian and Vivienne moved to Fremont, California, in 1998 before settling in Fort Collins in 2001. The two were married for 41 years and raised two sons, Michael and Simon. Ian spent 31 years as a procurement and supply chain engineer at Hewlett-Packard before retiring in 2020.
His son Michael shared some heartfelt memories: “My dad was a lifelong rider; he and his parents Leslie and Jean were also lifelong cyclists. Their vacations often involved multi-day tours across the Northwest of England. He raced constantly through his twenties and thirties—mostly time trials—and was an active member of the Nottingham Castle Cycling Club.”
During the 1990s, Ian paused his racing to focus on his family and career. After moving to Fort Collins, he resumed regular cycling, commuting by bike and making grocery runs on two wheels. When Michael began riding in high school and racing in college, Ian got back into shape—losing sixty pounds and reclaiming his racing form. He bought a series of bikes—a Fuji, Kestrel, Canyon, and finally a Trek gravel bike—and wore each into the ground.
He was known for his distinctive 45 RPM cadence, Union Jack jerseys, and a signature crooked-toothed smile. Fellow riders will remember his boundless energy, his deep care for safe cycling infrastructure, and his insistence on squeezing every last mile out of his gear. But he was more than just a cyclist—he was a brilliant engineer, a voracious reader, a history buff, and a pun-loving conversationalist.
Michael concluded: “I know he genuinely treasured the friendship and community that he found in the Fort Collins cycling community. Thank you all for that gift, and the overwhelming extension of love and support we have felt since his passing.”
To Ian’s family, friends, and fellow riders: our hearts are with you. This loss echoes deeply in every corner of our community.