Steve Tilford Foundation Launches to Support Youth Development

Focus on Mentoring Young People Through the Sport of Cycling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2020

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Steve Tilford Foundation
Eric Struckhoff, STF CEO
785-979-0347
contact@stevetilfordfoundation.org

LAWRENCE, KS, November 11, 2020 — Today, the family, friends, and teammates of cycling legend Steve Tilford announced the formation of the Steve Tilford Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit private foundation established to honor the life and legacy of Steve Tilford by paying his passion for cycling forward.

The mission of the Steve Tilford Foundation (STF) is to help young people find and chase their passion through the sport of cycling by promoting education, mentorship, and access to quality cycling opportunities.

“The Steve Tilford Foundation was created with the ambition that Steve’s legacy, work, and spirit will live on, both on and off the bike. That means supporting and mentoring young people as they discover the freedom and thrill of cycling; striving for excellence while helping others along their common path toward that goal; and sharing his stories, his wisdom, and his love of cycling,” said Foundation CEO Eric Struckhoff.

Driven by its mission, STF will be working to fund and support youth cycling programs and organizations focused on young athletes throughout the country, participating in youth cycling clinics, funding trails and infrastructure development, and supporting and promoting events to foster opportunities for kids to get involved in cycling.

Concurrently, STF will partner with a professional multi-surface cycling team with an emphasis on cyclocross and gravel racing throughout the United States and Europe. Steve Tilford Foundation Racing’s team athletes and ambassadors will be racing for a purpose: promoting STF and mentoring young male and female riders throughout the United States while competing at the highest level of international cycling.

“Cycling is a sport that demands dedication, discipline, strength, teamwork, and sacrifice. These same qualities are important threads of citizenship and community in our larger social fabric, and they are the same values that Steve Tilford shared at every speaking engagement, kids’ skills clinic, helmet giveaway, and race day he attended,” Struckhoff explained.

STF was co-founded by longtime family friends and riding partners Matt Gilhousen and Catherine Walberg, and by Tilford’s wife and family ambassador, Trudi Rebsamen.

“The opportunity to share Steve’s love of cycling, his zest for life and all the good things he showed us is an incredible honor. I am happy to be part of this organization and I know Steve would be both proud and humbled,” said Rebsamen.

Gilhousen said the enthusiasm from the cycling community has been gratifying and noted the work of STF’s steering committee in making the vision a reality.

“Steve’s impact on the cycling community was undeniable and nowhere was that more evident than in his hometown scene here in Kansas. You can imagine what it meant for our community to have Steve on local rides telling one of his never-ending lists of stories and inspiring us all by his inexhaustible love of the bike. Whether at a local race, our annual bike safety fair or from the international stage, he always inspired both young and old to get out and live. If the Foundation can keep just a part of Steve’s passion for life and sport alive it will be a great success,” said Gilhousen.

Through the Steve Tilford Foundation, the founders pledge to develop a network of likeminded supporters, advocates and collaborators who are dedicated to growing the sport of cycling. STF will work every day to improve people’s lives and nurture healthy communities, always guided by Steve Tilford’s true spirit of dedication, teamwork and respect.

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ABOUT STEVE TILFORD FOUNDATION

The Steve Tilford Foundation (STF) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit private foundation established to honor the life and legacy of Steve Tilford by paying his passion for cycling forward. The STF mission is to help young people find and chase their passion through the sport of cycling by promoting education, mentorship, and access to quality cycling opportunities. Always guided by Steve Tilford’s true spirit of dedication, teamwork and respect, STF works every day to ultimately improve lives and nurture healthy communities. For more information about the Steve Tilford Foundation please visit www.stevetilfordfoundation.org or contact Eric Struckhoff at contact@stevetilfordfoundation.org