Whether mountain biking or driving a vintage sports car, Richard Juryn personified the North Shore ethos. Juryn, who died in a kayaking accident on Howe Sound on October 7, wore a signature grin as he roamed the trails with the acumen of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. And if there was something the dynamic 50-year-old Lynn Valley resident and father of two didn't know, he knew who to ask, like biking buddy Jay "Hoots" Krantz or District of North Vancouver mayor Richard Walton.

When contacted by the Georgia Straight, Walton said he was numbed by the news. "There are some mountain bikers who just use the trails and don't think about giving back," he said. "Richard saw the need to protect and sustain the integrity of our natural assets. He was such a creative, energetic person. It rubbed off on everyone."

In 2003, Juryn's efforts to promote mountain biking in a positive light caught then-councillor Walton's attention. "He and I got together for sushi to discuss my concerns with confronting the situation over the extreme structures being built in the woods that were causing environmental erosion," Walton explained. "We needed to engage local governments and bikers to develop a long-term strategy for a sustainable model, a paradigm shift from the free-for-all among the downhillers. There is more trail-building experience here than anywhere else in the world, and Richard wanted to tap into it."

Soon afterward, Walton and his wife, Celeste Pelc, joined Juryn for what would be the genesis of the North Shore Mountain Bike Conference held in spring 2004. "We brought in everyone for a broad, comprehensive session of workshops with groups involved in constructing and managing landscapes for mountain bikes, like Rob McSkimming, [vice-president of business development] of the Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park. I'm a former educator. Richard was an event planner. Our thought was to create an opportunity for the world to come to North Vancouver to see how it could be done. We had well over 100 registrants the first year."

Walton summed up his memories of Juryn with a quote from wilderness advocate John Muir. It's a quote that Juryn's wife, Jill Warland, used to break the news to his friends: "'The mountains are calling and I must go.' That was Richard," explained the mayor. "He was in the woods all the time."

Krantz, a bike-skills-park designer, remembered his friend in a similar way when contacted by the Straight. Still clearly shaken, he recalled that Juryn worked out on the trails every day: "Rich was always active and challenging himself. He wouldn't expect anything from others that he couldn't do. The power he had was to help people realize their dreams. That was his calling. He networked everyone to make it happen. He was an intelligent, motivated man who saw how everyone was out there working towards a common goal. He married the ingredients into festivals and events, and circled it all together."

Krantz neatly summed up Juryn's persistent vision: "The man's goal was to get everyone on a bicycle." That's the same mission championed by McSkimming, who enlisted Juryn's help to organize the annual Crankworx Free­ride Mountain Bike Festival. "Rich played a huge role. He brought in industry partners. He animated the event. We hoped he'd play an even larger role next year. In mountain biking in general, Rich was there to bring parties together. More than that, he was a catalyst to spur them on to make things happen."

Was Juryn just in the right place at the right time, or did his presence actually take the local mountain-bike scene to another level? McSkimming is plain in his assessment: "The mountain-bike culture was missing someone like Richard for quite a long time. Things just weren't getting done. We lacked a person with the best interests of mountain biking in mind, without being affiliated with any special-interest group. He filled the gaps, whether organizing a bike swap to raise funds for junior riders or staging a world conference. His influence and inspiration will carry on and grow with the people he's affected over time, because we need this."

Krantz concurred–but only to a point. "I'm not sure one person is great enough to pick up even one project, let alone the big picture of his world conferences," he said. "I'm not pessimistic, just realistic about the challenge for even one motivated person to complete it with the professionalism and tenacity Rich would bring to a project."

Whether you knew Juryn or not, here's a suggestion for connecting with his spirit. Last spring, Juryn gave the Straight a tour of one of his North Shore Mountain Bike Events Society's Legacy Fund projects, the construction of new bridges and boardwalks on the popular Bridle Path Trail at the foot of Mount Seymour. This major east–west recreation route is enjoyed by bikers, hikers, and dog walkers alike. There's no more idyllic place to wander. Sheltered by the forest during the rainy season and cooled by shade from those same evergreens during the hottest days of summer, this is a place where you can quickly leave the sounds of the city behind and let your mind unwind at its own speed. Thanks to his vision, further trail building and maintenance projects will go from being mere ideas to actual events, which will help all of us stay in better shape. That was Juryn's dream and legacy, one to enjoy now because we have no time to delay.

A ceremony to celebrate the life of Richard Juryn takes place next Thursday (October 25), beginning at 7 p.m. at Centennial Theatre (2300 Lonsdale Avenue) in North Vancouver.