I am deeply saddened to share that our friend and teammate Phil Ginsberg died today June 17th, while riding home from Sunday’s group ride.  He was crossing the Manhattan Bridge towards Brooklyn with teammates when he suddenly lost control and fell. Doctors indicate that he appears to have died from a cardiac event and not from injuries sustained when he lost control of his bicycle. 

Phil was riding with teammates John Olsson, John Powell, Brian Miele, Thierry Bonnaire as well as a recruit on the Meet Kissena ride; Rich Freeman. They called 911 and attempted to perform CPR on him while receiving guidance on the phone and waiting for the EMTs. Phil was unconscious and stopped breathing. The EMTs arrived and rushed him to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. 

Phil was 36 years old and lived with his fiancee, Ebony. His family, whom he visited just a few weeks ago, lives in the UK. As of right now it is unknown what the plans are for his services. The club is reaching out to the family to let them know how much Phil meant to us and that we are willing to help in any way. Once the initial shock wears off we will find some way to properly honor our friend. 

A few other details about today’s events should be clarified. First, while its too early for a Coroner’s report, the doctors at the hospital are reasonably certain this was a cardiac event and that no one at the scene could have done anything differently to save his life. This must have been horrible for those on the scene. I would not wish this on anyone. I hope they can find some solace in the fact that his family will undoubtedly appreciate that he was surrounded by friends who cared about him and tried their best to help him. A special thanks should also go out to Brian Miele who rode to the hospital and spent the day there providing doctors and police officers with information as well as waiting for Phil's fiancee. John Malcolmson joined Brian at the hospital. Our hearts go out to the members who were with Phil.

The club will post updates as they become available. Feel free to join the discussion about Phil here. Please keep his family and fiancee in your thoughts.

JohnPowell said:

I met Phil for the first time on the ride yesterday. When I arrived to roll out with the group from the Brooklyn Bridge entrance, he introduced himself immediately and we spent much of the ride talking about practically everything under the sun. I was struck by his enthusiasm, charm, and compassion... he really cared about the people around him.

I won't talk on this board about what I experienced on the bridge that day, but I will say that even though I only knew him for 4 hours—and in no way knew him as well as any of you—I feel like I lost a good friend. He was such a warm person that he made me feel like we'd known each other for years.

For those of you who knew him better than me, I'm so sorry. I did the best I could. I wish I could have done more.