Reprinted with permission of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition from the April 1995 issue of Quick Release.

Dan Henry — local legendary bikie
by Wilson Hubbell

	Legendary cyclist Dan Henry, left, at the ribbon-cutting to open the new Dan Henry Bike Route in the Santa Ynez Valley, Ca. in September 1999. With him is Wilson Hubbell, alternative transportation coordinator for Santa Barbara County. Photo by Ralph Fertig, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.

This month's bicycling personality is "Mr. Bicycle" of the Santa Ynez Valley and unofficial president of the Bicycle Touring Club of Solvang, Dan Henry. Dan is a veteran cyclist whose organized bicycle touring exploits go back some fifty years. During that time he has (among numerous other accomplishments) designed full suspension bicycles decades before they became popular on mountain bikes; invented the typical route marking (commonly known as Dan Henry Arrows) seen on countless century rides; convinced Clement to produce their first butyl tubed tubular (sew-up) tires; participated in countless tours around the world; and organized events for the New York Cycle Club, the International Bicycle Touring Society and many, many others.

A retired American Airlines pilot, Dan is a legend in the skies as well as on the ground and is prominently mentioned in the written history of that airline. After retiring from American, Dan eventually moved to the Santa Ynez Valley where he still puts in thousands of bicycling miles each year despite having seen more than eight decades pass beneath his wheels. He and his wife Trudi, who is also an avid cyclist, are a common sight on their tandem throughout the Santa Ynez Valley. In fact, Dan probably holds the Santa Barbara County "tandem ownership" record by possessing no less than three Santana tandems simultaneously, although his current stable includes "just" two tandems!

Dan has received the prestigious Paul Dudley White award (essentially the Nobel Prize of cycling) from the League of American Bicyclists for his tireless efforts on behalf of cycling and cyclists over the years; and anyone who knows Dan would say that it is richly deserved. Cyclists of Santa Barbara County are truly blessed to have this legendary bikie in our midst, this months's bicycling personality, Dan Henry.