Blumenfeld began his career as a bicycle courier in Washington. He then built bikes, rode them, raced them, and coached and advised other cyclists, according to his brother and a personal website.
“He did everything and anything” related to bikes and cycling, said his brother, Lane Blumenfeld.
The crash happened around 2:45 p.m. in the 10,000 block of Taneytown Pike, state police said. Shawn Blumenfeld and the van were heading west in the same lane on the pike, they said.
For reasons that had not been determined on Monday, the van “hit the rear of the cyclist”, police said.
Lane Blumenfeld said he assumed his brother was doing his daily workout when he was hit. He said his brother was a cautious cyclist who usually traveled on his shoulder when riding the roads and credited a helmet with saving his life in a previous serious crash.
Shawn Blumenfeld had lived in the district for years and was involved with a bike shop here. He was nicknamed “bega”, according to the website and blog he maintained, as well as his brother.
Shawn Blumenfeld’s website describes him as dedicated to the enjoyment of cycling throughout his life. He specialized in areas such as racing strategy and the mathematics of cycling, he said.
He was a certified USA Cycling coach, the website said.
In a blog entry, he said he considers himself “one of the most unsuccessful bike racers of all time.”
He said he was paid to compete in many forms of cycling competition, including road racing and messenger racing, and was sent around the world to compete, not to he can win but “just so I can race”.
In addition to “years and years” of working as a bike messenger, he had been a crew chief, manager and owner, mechanic and promoter, according to the blog. He was also the manager of a women’s professional cycling team called “Hub Racing”, according to his website.
Lane Blumenfeld graduated from Yale Law School in 1993, resulting in an exemplary episode of Shawn Blumenfeld’s character and abilities.
As Lane recounted, Shawn Blumenfeld built her a bike to celebrate the feat and rode it from Washington to New Haven, Connecticut to give it to her.
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