A very sad day!!! Mike Janelle has fatal heart attack.

I just got off the phone with a very sad Nat Ross. Nat informed me that his Colorado teammate suffered a fatal heart attack this past Friday.

Mike Janelle, a long-time presence on mtb racing scene and a 3-time Race Across America Champ with Nat Ross racing in the team category, died abruptly of an apparent heart attack Friday morning. How short can be, Janelle was only 40 years old. All the reason to live it as Mike Janelle.

Janelle focused primarily on endurance mountain-bike events, and represented the United States at the UCI world marathon championships in 2005. Alongside teammate and friend Jay Henry, Janelle also scored an overall team victory at the 24 Hours of Moab in 2005.

Janelle was the driving force behind Team Vail-Beaver Creek, which dominated the four-person category of the Race Across America from 2005-07. Composed of Janelle, Nat Ross, Jimi Mortensen and Zach Bingham, Vail-Beaver Creek scored overall RAAM victories in 2005 and '06.

A basic characteristic of life is a high degree of order. To scrutinize it, and discover what oder exists at levels below what the unaided eye can see. Our intellectual journey also takes us back, when we watch life shorten.

Our regards go out to all who knew and raced with Mike. He will be missed.