mike janelle

AVON ― Mike Janelle was already well known as an elite bike racer, a dedicated ski instructor and a great friend.

He couldn't wait to be a father, too.

"I just had Thanksgiving dinner with him last night, and we were toasting to life," said friend Chico Thuon. "He was just getting into his next chapter, and he was psyched to do it."

Janelle, an Avon resident, died unexpectedly at his home Friday. He was 40. His wife, Maribel, is pregnant with their first child.

Memorial service
A memorial service for Mike Janelle will be at 5 p.m. Monday at the Vilar Center at Beaver Creek.

In lieu of flower, donations should be made to the Mike Janelle Memorial Fund, c/o 1st Bank of Avon, PO Box 5270, Avon, CO 81620.

Donations may also be dropped off at 1st Bank in Avon or Bob's Place in Avon. For more information, call Kelli Anthony Rohrig at 390-9145.

Janelle was a world-renowned pro bike racer who has been part of winning teams in the Race Across America and the 24 Hours of Moab. He raced both road bikes and mountain bikes around the country and the world.

"Mike enjoyed the camaraderie, the travel, he just enjoyed being on a bike," said friend Chris Doyle. "He loved to ride."

Michael Paul Janelle was born June 7, 1967, in Chicksha, Okla. Part Kiowa and Choctaw, he was proud of his Native American heritage. He grew up in Colorado and Iowa, and had lived in Eagle County for 23 years.

Loved to teach
Doyle got to know Janelle when they raced together as teenagers. Janelle ended up living with the Doyles in Eagle-Vail for 10 years.

"He really was like my son," said Bob Doyle, Chris' father. "Mike doesn't have any enemies. Just a wonderful guy. Always had a great attitude. Loved bike racing. Every time he was in a race, he was happy."

Janelle, competing with the Beaver Creek team, won the Race Across America, a more-than-3,000-mile course across the continent, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He won the 24 Hours of Moab pro duo division with Nat Ross this year and with Jay Henry in 2005. Janelle raced for the Tokyo Joe's/Gary Fisher team.


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Mike Janelle won the Davos Dash in Vail in 2004. He had also been part of winning teams in the Race Across America and the 24 Hours of Moab.
Shane Macomber/Vail Daily

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"One of the best bike racers in the world," Ross said. "So passionate about it that he rode his bike all the time, even the middle of the winter."

Janelle taught both skiing and snowboarding at Beaver Creek in the winter. He would ride his bike from Wildwood to Beaver Creek to teach.

"No matter what the weather," said friend Kelli Anthony Rohrig. "It's a miracle that he wasn't ever smushed in the roundabout. ... He just loved to be on a bike."
Janelle made lasting connections with his students on the hill, Thuon said.

"He was more than their ski instructor," he said. "He was part of their family."

Unconditional friend
Friends described Janelle as compassionate, giving and free-spirited, a person of great integrity who never wavered in his dedication to his loved ones.

"Just a very charismatic guy," Thuon said. "Never told you about his problems. Always listened, an amazing listener. Took the time to listen to you and give you a hug if you needed it."

Chris Doyle said Janelle was nothing if not a free spirit.

"He didn't want to conform to anything he didn't believe in," Doyle said.

Janelle is survived by his wife, Maribel Avila Janelle; his parents, Jack and Lynda "Lynne" Janelle of Yarnell, Ariz.; his brother Jeremy Janelle and his sister-in-law Leah; his nephew, Judah, and his niece, Seven; and grandparents Chlotiea and Dixon Palmer of Oklahoma.
Mike Janelle, a long-time presence on Colorado's mountain-bike racing scene and three-time Race Across America champ in the team category, died abruptly of an apparent heart attack Friday morning. Janelle was 40 years old.


Mike Janelle, June 7, 1967 - November 23, 2007


photo: Fred Dreier


A professional mountain-bike racer since 1996 and elite road cyclist since 1988, Janelle raced for Colorado's Tokyo Joe's professional squad, and was a staple on the Mountain States Cup, National Mountain Bike Series and local Vail racing series. He was also a ski instructor at Beaver Creek resort.

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 also scored numerous victories at local road and mountain-bike races in Colorado's Front Range. He finished fifth at the 2007 USA Cycling marathon national championships in Breckenridge, Colorado on July 4 - a race won by Henry.

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

"The sheer number of races he's done in his career is amazing," said Henry, Janelle's longtime friend and teammate. "He started racing when he was 18, and in 22 years he did a huge amount of races. I think that's why he had so many friends as well. He's been around along time and has always been super friendly. A lot of people are going to be sad about his passing."

Janelle suffered a heart attack at his home in Avon, Colorado, and was rushed to the Vail Valley Medical Center around 6:30 a.m. Emergency workers were unable to revive him. Officials have yet to release a statement regarding Janelle's death.

Janelle is survived by his wife, Maribel, currently six months pregnant with the couple's first child. Friends and family plan to hold a memorial service for Janelle on Monday at 5:00 p.m., November 26 at Beaver Creek's Vilar Center, and plan to establish a memorial fund for his family