Monday was a dark day for us as we learned over the weekend that our colleague Pat Malak had passed away at the age of 55.

Pat was more than just a colleague to us, he was a friend with a sharp wit, a dry and sometimes dark sense of humor, and a joke that could relieve tension in even the most stressful times.

When he first applied for a freelance position with Cycling News, he blew the rest out of the water with a brilliant cover letter listing numerous story ideas. He always wanted to focus on unknown races, smaller races, and Continental teams facing the big dogs.

He had already been covering local races in Oregon for years, writing race reports and publishing great photos in Oregon Cycling Action.

Pat was a voice for up-and-coming riders, listened with empathy, and demonstrated in his writing a deep understanding of the sport and how difficult it is to excel in it.

Sometimes his laid-back questions backfired, and after the shock wore off, his incitement of Jens Voigt to shout down his questions was arguably one of the highlights of the cycling news era.

Pat was always first on the team bus in the morning and last out of the press room at night. He was online early when working from home and helped the Australian team late on the Tour Down Under.

Over the past year, Pat has rekindled his joy of riding, getting up early to enjoy the sunrise and planning his day around a night spin. Carbon, aerodynamic, lightweight, no expensive gear, two old Specialized bikes, one an aluminum Allez, the other a mountain bike, the Rockhopper.

In fact, he had just had his old Specialized adjusted by a local mechanic because the rear wheel had seized. His last words were, "New rear wheel (burned out hub), new cassette and chain, new brake pads, new cables replaced and lubricated, gears adjusted. The bike runs like new. And it's shiny from top to bottom."

Pat would probably hate it if I told him he died doing what he loved, but in this case it's true. He loved life more than ever this year, and most of all he loved his bike.

- Laura Weislo

Tributes to Pat have poured in since the news of his passing. Below are just a few of the many testimonials posted on social media from friends and colleagues in the cycling community.