RIP Barry Mason

Shocked to hear Barry Mason has died while on holiday in Spain. He was only 60. http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5328

For those who didn't know him, he was an absolutely inspirational cycle campaigner and also the man behind the Dunwich Dynamo as it is today. My first ever ride on a road bike was led by him back in 2005 - 80 miles in the pissing rain and his unstoppable enthusiasm had a lot to do with me becoming slightly obsessed.

I've deleted some of my original post as the posts below do a much better job of describing what an incredible man he was.

RIP Barry, you will be sorely missed. I was undecided about doing the DD this year, but now I will be riding it in your memory.

my condolences to his family - Barry was an amazing person, hugely dedicated to cycling and a presence I remember on many rides over the years. RIP Barry.

I didn't know him but reading about him now I've been involved with or been helped by lots of things he was a part of, which is a strange little surprise. I'm sorry to hear he's gone, he was clearly a great man.

Oh no. That's such sad news - I met Barry once waaaaay back in the 90s at Critical Mass; he had a passion and a belief in cycling then that was inspirational, and clearly seems to have sustained that energy in the years since, judging by the article tricitybendix linked to.

Condolences to his family.

What a huge loss to the community. I took my son to Surrey Docks Farm only a few days ago, and witnessed yet another thriving concern under Barry's watchful eye and busy hand. RIP.

Oh my, that's such sad news - he was a lovely man, I'll remember him for his great work organising the Dun Run, and the cracking work he did for Southwark Cyclists.

RIP Barry.

Very shocked to read this... being on the Southwark Cyclists mailing list it was only a few days ago he posted he would be out for a bit as ferry booked and off on his hols..

A huge loss to the cycling community, met him on the DD a few times and he was a lovely guy... RIP.

It's the most unbelievable shock and it's almost impossible to put into words what Barry meant to so many people. He was an absolute legend and will never be equalled. His energy and enthusiasm were simply off the scale. Hardly anyone could be as passionate and as dedicated as Barry was. He was a livewire, the heart of the community, an incredible organiser and project manager, and his immense charm and tenacity made him a fantastic campaigner. He had the most amazing knowledge, not only local Southwark knowledge, and the range of his experiences and adventures came out in his frequent posts to the Southwark Cyclists mailing list, sizzling with energy. He hated bureaucracy and inaction and preferred getting on with things to meetings.

As others have said, he organised a huge number of rides and must have ridden with thousands of people and introduced thousands of people to cycling. When I last saw him at the Shortwave Cinema in Bermondsey on the 22nd May, he had just organised a ride that morning. It must have been just a few days before he went on holiday. Barry introduced me to Herne Hill Velodrome by organising rides and try-out days there, long before track racing, or indeed the Velodrome, became fashionable again. He led the Midsummer Madness rides and the Deserted London rides on Christmas Day. There were afterworkers almost every week.

Cycling in London owes a huge debt to Barry. It is horrible that he is gone. He will never be forgotten by his many friends in the LCC, and the many other organisations he influenced--Living Streets and lots of other local organisations in Southwark. RIP Barry.

A sad sad loss.

RIP Barry. Evidently, he's someone who will be greatly missed. Thanks.

So sad.

Some of my first and (still) most enjoyable rides in and around London were led by Barry.

Thank you and RIP

I'm shocked and saddened to hear this, Barry was tireless campaigner and one of the nicest people you could wish to meet.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Please read the only official statement about Barry's death on Southwark Cyclists' website.
http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/content/rest-peace-barry-mason

Those of us who knew him well are still struggling to come to terms with the news and imagine a life without Barry.

I will be acting as chair at Southwark's next week's monthly meeting where we will begin the process of trying to pick up where he left off, not that anyone could ever fill his shoes, nor with the same warmth, passion, energy, integrity, commitment, love or breadth of knowledge he consistently showed.

Thoughts to Cheryl and his children at this awful time.

I miss him so much already it breaks my heart. I am still wondering around a bit stunned this weekend. He was my hero, my inspiration, my role model for everything good about cycle campaigning and cycling in general. He supported me in all that I did not only in cycling but personally.

Though not a lfgss member, he certainly embraced and encouraged all modes of cycling and all kinds of cyclists and most importantly, fought hard to make cycling safer for all.

I will always love you Barry. Let us never forget him or the work he did.

Alex x

It's the most unbelievable shock and it's almost impossible to put into words what Barry meant to so many people. He was an absolute legend and will never be equalled. His energy and enthusiasm were simply off the scale. Hardly anyone could be as passionate and as dedicated as Barry was. He was a livewire, the heart of the community, an incredible organiser and project manager, and his immense charm and tenacity made him a fantastic campaigner. He had the most amazing knowledge, not only local Southwark knowledge, and the range of his experiences and adventures came out in his frequent posts to the Southwark Cyclists mailing list, sizzling with energy. He hated bureaucracy and inaction and preferred getting on with things to meetings.

As others have said, he organised a huge number of rides and must have ridden with thousands of people and introduced thousands of people to cycling. When I last saw him at the Shortwave Cinema in Bermondsey on the 22nd May, he had just organised a ride that morning. It must have been just a few days before he went on holiday. Barry introduced me to Herne Hill Velodrome by organising rides and try-out days there, long before track racing, or indeed the Velodrome, became fashionable again. He led the Midsummer Madness rides and the Deserted London rides on Christmas Day. There were afterworkers almost every week.

Cycling in London owes a huge debt to Barry. It is horrible that he is gone. He will never be forgotten by his many friends in the LCC, and the many other organisations he influenced--Living Streets and lots of other local organisations in Southwark. RIP Barry.

lovely words oliver x

Terribly sad news.
He was such a community-minded gentleman and a tireless campaigner not just for cyclist but for a raft of things that made Southwark a much better place.

A huge loss. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, from all those, like me, who just came across Barry and had their enthusiasm for all kinds of cycling ignited or kept aflame.

Barry was one of those people who make a city of 8 million feel like a village.

Oliver has described some of the good things he made happen. There are many, many more. If you had an idea to do something new, Barry would always encourage, advise and usually lend a helping hand. He made connections and got things done.

He also bore witness to the bad things. He took days of work to attend the inquests into the deaths of cyclists killed by lorries, taking copious notes and putting pressure on the authorities to reduce danger on the roads.

When the times called for serious, he could be serious. But he loved the absurd, the wild, the frivolous. He was particularly taken by hard court bike polo and he stepped in at the last minute to help London host the European Championships in 2009. People sometimes talk about the tribes of cycling. Barry was tribe-blind.

His warmth, charm, kindness, experience, knowledge, curiosity, breadth of interest and sense of fun made him excellent company, on the road or in the pub. He loved to talk but was never bombastic, he enjoyed the spotlight and was a superb advocate but behind it all that was a lot of hard work and dedication.

I can't get my head around the idea London is now a place where I'll never see him riding down the street towards me and stop for a natter about this and that.

The last time I saw Barry was on an afterworker ride visiting the Heygate Estate just south of the Elephant & Castle. He wanted to ride on those futuristic elevated skyways before they were torn down as the estate is demolished. Along the way we met one of a handful of residents who are still living there and discovered they were starting a community allotment in the abandoned gardens in the estate. We chatted for a while and Barry offered to contribute some manure from the city farm where he worked as manager. I thought we could do it with a small flotilla of bike trailers. Those were the kind of encounters, unexpected, unplanned but richly rewarding, the little connections that are needed to bring together people living in an often anonymising, atomised city.

Barry loved the bicycle for many reasons but perhaps this was the greatest - that above all modes of transport, bicycling gives us a greater understanding of and feeling for the place, space and life all around us and makes possible those chance meetings that lead to something more.

I'll miss Barry very, very much.

I remember my first meetings with Barry, to enquire about the Dun Run. He encouraged me to give it a try. Without making it too the beach, I would never have contemplated bigger things. I'd never have cycled across Canada, never met the love of my life, never made it to who and where I am now.

I'd never considered it before, that he had been so pivotal in my life. I wish I could have done it in person but I'll thank him for that, and many things more.

hi oliver; i am still in shock; what can we do to mark and honour his immense contribution? any ideas?
bob colover [ yellow recumbents owner]; will there be some kine of service??

hi oliver; i am still in shock; what can we do to mark and honour his immense contribution? any ideas?
bob colover [ yellow recumbents owner]; will there be some kine of service??

Hi Bob - Southwark Cyclists are planning a tribute ride. So please watch this space. Check the Southwark website for updates on services too http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/.

Thanks. Alex

What an absolute shame. RIP Barry.

hi oliver; i am still in shock; what can we do to mark and honour his immense contribution? any ideas?

Easy, go on as many rides as you can; campaign as much as you can. That goes for everybody.

R.I.P another legend leaves us but their influence and inspiration will live on.

Beautiful tributes, Alex and Jack.

Oliver has described some of the good things he made happen. There are many, many more. If you had an idea to do something new, Barry would always encourage, advise and usually lend a helping hand. He made connections and got things done.

Absolutely. It's impossible to describe all he did. If anyone wanted to get an idea, they could try to read back through the minutes of Southwark Cyclists or the Southwark Cyclists Yahoogroup mailing list archives, and their head would soon start spinning. If you noticed something was happening, Barry was probably behind it in some way.

Such wonderful thoughts and tributes to champion barry here. An abrasive principled tireless fun generating intense bloke. You left behind an improved world thanks to your actions. Rest in peace