Darell C. Provencher

Since I started this string I feel compelled to conclude it. As Shakespeare
said, "All's well that ends well." Perhaps the lesson learned here is how do
we judge the perceived gap between actions vs intention. What initially
spurred me to send my first message was the statement of actions with little
or no informatoin about intent, which led me and others to fill in the
intentions. This terrible situation of losing a fellow cyclist often has a
deeply embedded emotional layer to it, which I have felt in a similar
tragedy in losing my friend Eric Kautzky. These emotions are also felt by
Brett's friends, as I witnessed from personal conversations and emails sent
to me over the last two days.

So I sent out my message, without first verifying the intentions of Mr.
Rutter. Perhaps next time I should send an offline message first to
understand the context and intention. Several of us let our emotions
outweigh other possible intentions. I beleve Mr. Rutter's response today was
sincere and genuine, and included some valuable self-insights.

And I think Corey Stayton's email is on target when he said, "It is about
the Brett Jarolimek Fund and the meaning behind it is a powerful one shaped
by all of the people who contributed to the fund that night or at anytime
and care about the big picture of cycling in Portland."

I'll write my check to Brett's Fund tonite, and I hope that in a small way
it will contribute to the cycling community, while helping me continue to
heal as well.

Darell

On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 4:00 PM, Craig Rutter wrote:

> Hello,
> I sincerely apologize for any ill feelings or disrespect I may have caused,
> it certainly was not my intention. With that being said I would like to
> address a couple of things since there seems to be a lot of
> assumptions(mostly on my part)about the frameset I recently became owner of.
>
> 1) I could not attend the event/fund raiser held May 1st.
> 2) I purchased my raffle tickets online via PayPal.
>
> When I was notified I had won the Veloforma frameset I assumed it was just
> a "regular" frameset and not something special for the event. Even when I
> received emails from James Lingwood and Mark Duff they didn't mention
> anything about the "special" frame. Mark had even said I won the F1R and
> needed to pick a size for myself or a friend, it was mine to do whatever I
> wanted. So they assumed I known what I had won.
>
> I, again, assumed since this was a race frame and I am not a racer, I
> should sell it and use the proceeds to purchase a bike to my riding style, a
> nice touring bike. So that was where the OBRA post originated from, I
> figured someone on this list would be interested. I set the price at 2400
> since the msrp was 2500 but also said I would take reasonable offers. Sure
> I would have taken less but wanted to start high. I would not pick a size
> and let the purchaser pick one, that gave me a larger customer base, if you
> will.
> I did feel awkward for putting something up for sale that I had won and
> even send Mark and email stating so, but hey, if someone really wanted the
> frame they should have it more than I. So last night I emailed Mark(again)
> stating I had changed my mind and I would take the Large, just let me know
> when I could pick it up.
>
> Then later that night I see the email from Mr. Provencher...wow...talk
> about a blow to the gut. I had no idea about the "special" frame.
> Ignorance...it is such bad form, that is the part I feel sick about.
> To be labeled as a person trying to receive a "significant gain" and
> "lining my pockets" really did not help and were just as bad as the
> assumptions I had made.
>
> So that's my story. Hopefully it helped explain my actions and we all know
> they needed explaining.
> Again, I am sorry.
>
> Craig Rutter
>
>
>
>
>
> mark@veloforma.com wrote:
>
>> Hello All,
>> I just got in to the office to check emails.
>>
>> Craig sent me an email this morning stating that he would like to KEEP the
>> bike, and has ordered a large F1R. I think his initial concern was/is he is
>> tall and weighs in at 220 and not a racer, that will not be a problem. The
>> bike can handle it. So the frame issue is taken care of...
>>
>> Cory you are correct. This is about Brett, his family and his fund. How
>> his life came to a tragic end. The frame is a extremely small way to
>> memorialize Brett and his life. What's important is about how someone lost
>> there life doing what they truly loved. About keeping his memory alive. It's
>> about doing what we can as a group to help Portland cycling/cyclists thrive.
>> We don't take material things with us when we pass, material goods do us no
>> good once we leave this life, it's about what we do when we are alive that
>> makes all the difference.
>>
>> So lets keep on trying to make a difference in life any way we can... Have
>> a great day everyone and remember how precious life truly is.
>>
>> Best Regards
>>
>> Mark Duff - President
>> Veloforma, Inc.
>> WHQ 41991 NW Woollen Rd/ Banks, OR 97106
>> mail PO Box 185/ Banks, OR 97106
>> tel 971.255.9375 cell 503.789.6735
>> fax 503.625.0768
>> www.veloforma.com
>> www.veloforma.blogspot.com
>>
>>
>

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