A group of people came together Thursday afternoon at an Oliver farm to celebrate the life of a friend and family member lost all too soon.
Adam Larsson was an avid member of the Penticton cycling community and died last week after being hit by a car in Oliver while riding along Tuc-el-Nuit Drive.
RCMP are still investigating the accident.
Kurt Flaman is one of those who got to know Larsson very well since they met in 1994 just after Flaman moved to Penticton.
He believes the location of the service at the farm in Oliver would be exactly where his good friend would have wanted.
“I think it is the perfect spot. He always liked it there, the good food they produce,” said Flaman, who co-owns Freedom the Bike Shop where Larsson worked for a while. “We all really enjoyed things like the Feast of Fields and those al fresco dinners. He just really enjoyed his food so what better place to hold this.”
Flaman noted that not surprisingly the mood among most people after the news of the accident was “very low.”
There are now tentative plans in the works to hold a special cycling event in his honour.
“We’re going to figure something out and we’ll probably pick a day and a nice place to go and ride in his memory,” said his friend. “He certainly wouldn’t want us sitting around and moping and feeling sorry for ourselves. He’d want us to shut up and ride.”
Larsson was very committed to fitness and while he competed at high levels of the sport in his lifetime, he never lost the personal enjoyment he got from touring on two wheels.
Flaman added his friend’s only real challenge was with himself.
“He explored his limits, how far, how fast but never more than his limits and never went out there to hurt himself,” he said. “To a certain degree he was a lone wolf sometimes but only because he would be going faster and further than anyone else.”
While he was super committed to being healthy and looking after himself there was one dark side.
“Oh, Adam knew what good foods were but he really did enjoy his desserts too,” said Flaman. “He would eat the most decadent desserts we could find or my wife could make and not leave a piece behind.”
Larsson was also a regular at Apex during the ski season and his friend feels he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.