10-16-07 // News: 2 Mountain Bikers Die In Kayak Accident

The Vancouver mountain biking community lost two highly regarded members of the tribe on Sunday when a kayaking accident took the lives of Richard Juryn and Denis Fontaine. Juryn, a mountain bike events organizer who was a key part of the success of the Whistler-based Crankworx, and Fontaine, also a well-known B.C. mountain biker, died after their kayak overturned in Howe Sound, off the coast of British Columbia. The two were part of a group of eight that was attempting to kayak around Anvil Island.

Juryn, 50, and Fontaine, 40, both lived in Deep Cove, 20 minutes outside of Vancouver. They were fit, experienced outdoor athletes who lived for cross-country mountain bike adventures.

According to the Times Colonist newspaper, Juryn and Fontaine were part of a group that left Porteau Cove for Anvil Island at about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. It was a group of eight in four double kayaks. After a hike on Anvil Island, high winds struck on the return trip, and two of the boats overturned. A third man was in critical condition at a local hospital. For a complete report, go HERE.

Juryn, who is survived by his wife and two teenage children, owned and operated North Shore, an events company that managed sponsorship and expo operations for Crankworx. He was also known as a major advocate of mountain bike trails in British Columbia.

“[Juryn] will be missed for sure,” Juryn’s friend Marc Campbell told the Times Colonist. “He is carpe diem, he lived every day.”

An online guestbook for Juryn has been posted HERE.

Juryn was a mountain bike events organizer who was a key part of the success of the Whistler-based Crankworx.