Steve Larsen Bike Plaza

Steve Larsen Plaza and artwork to be dedicated on May 3

The long-awaited dedication of the Steve Larsen Bicycle Plaza at Davis Senior High School will be dedicated on Friday, May 3 at noon. The plaza is located between the Ron & Mary Brown Stadium entry gates and the main high school gym on Oak Avenue.  The public is invited and refreshments will be served.

The first phase of the plaza was completed in 2011 as part of the total rebuilding of the high school’s multi-purpose stadium with major support from the Davis Blue & White Foundation and the Davis community.  It is believed that this is the first high school football and track stadium in the United States to feature a bicycle plaza with bike racks and bicycle-themed artwork.  More information about the stadium project and the Blue & White Foundation can be found at: www.dhsblueandwhite.org/stadium.html

Also to be dedicated on May 3 is a new ‘Spirit Rider’ Arch designed and sculpted by artist Keith Peschel of Rock & Iron Design.  The arch will be part of the city’s Art in Public Places collection and it is the first city sponsored public art piece to be located on the grounds of a Davis school.

Steve Larsen was raised in Davis, graduated from Davis High School and is considered Davis's greatest ever all-around cyclist.  He is the only American to have competed in World Championships in the five different bicycle disciplines of road, mountain bike, track, cycle-cross and triathlon.  Steve was also an professional triathlete and a former national mountain bike champion.  

Larsen’s cycling resume included many junior and professional cycling, cycle-cross and mountain biking championships, racing for the Motorola racing team in Europe, and shattering course records in both road triathlon and XTERRA mountain bike triathlons.

Steve and his wife Carrie are the former owners of Wheelworks in downtown Davis.  Larsen was a sponsor of the Mad Cows Triathlon Racing Team based in Davis. Wheelworks was, and is, the starting point for Davis’s Saturday race rides, and Larsen created the popular Wednesday night time trials for cyclists to test their fitness and speed over a 10 mile course.

Since 2005 Steve was living in Bend, Oregon with Carrie and their five children. While still training and racing he started working in real estate, first with Lowes Commercial Properties in Bend and then with his own company, Steve Larsen Properties.  He passed away unexpectedly during a track workout in June of 2009 of coronary artery disease at the age of 39.

 The ‘Spirit Rider,’ artwork to be dedicated is a monumental arch designed and metal sculpted by artist Keith Peschel, of Rock and Iron Design in Shingle Springs, California.  The monument  is dedicated to and inspired by the life of Davis cycling legend Steve Larsen.  The arch was commissioned by the Davis Civic Arts Commission as part of the city’s Art In Public Places program.  On top of the sculpture’s arch will be two fluid bicycles that seem to be in motion, embodying Steve’s versatility and success in his sport.  The steel arch structure with a colorful finish also features a sculpted sprocket and spokes. A plaque on the artwork in Larsen’s honor states:  “Be fast. Be bold. Embrace your goals. Above all, follow your dreams.”

Larsen’s five children,wife and family members will be on hand for the dedication.  A special bicycle ribbon will be cut by the children at the conclusion of the dedication program. For more information about the Steve Larsen Plaza dedication and the artwork can be found at: www.facebook.com/larsenplaza