Mark Deterline, Former Cycling West Assistant Editor, Passes Away

Mark Deterline, our friend and former assistant editor for Cycling Utah and Cycling West, died on July 13th, 2019 at age 52 in Germany. We are incredibly saddened by Mark’s passing and miss him tremendously already. Mark was a part of the evolution of the magazine, and wrote or co-authored over forty articles for Cycling Utah from 2011 to 2016 on coaching, health, and technical topics. Each article was written with great care, and Mark fretted over every detail and word choice in order to make the story perfect.

Mark always wanted everyone to be their best and to take part in the greater whole. In his article “Teamwork Matters“, he concludes with, “Hopefully this summary not only piques your interest and serves as motivation to get better educated about racing. It should also serve as a call to arms, as an affirmation of the exalted you role that you can play as an individual and as a member of a squad in our collective goal to elevate cycling in Utah and the West at every level, in women’s, men’s and junior racing.”

He was a good friend, and provided advice and guidance to me during the changes in Cycling Utah and Cycling West over the years. Rest in Peace Mark. Mark’s obituary (from his family) is below:

Mark Stedman Deterline, 52, passed away on July 13th, 2019, after a prolonged illness. He left peacefully, able to say a gentle good-bye to his wife, who was with him. Mark was born in Palo Alto, CA on September 15th, 1966. He grew up in Palo Alto where he graduated from Palo Alto High School and was voted the most valuable player on the golf team. A gifted and diligent student and athlete, Mark was offered a golf scholarship at Brigham Young University. He opted not to play so he could focus on his studies. He majored in languages and received a master’s degree in language education. He loved languages and loved to travel. After graduation he lived and worked in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, studying German at the University of Constance. He spoke five languages, mastering some on his own.

He met a wonderful woman, Nunzia Palmieri, in Italy and they were married on February 13, 1993. They lived in Salt Lake City and had two children, Alessio, born in Montebelluna, Italy, and Donatella, born in Provo, Utah. A loving father, Mark was supportive of their initiatives and projects. He was a great mimic and entertained the family constantly with imitations (of us others), foreign accents and anecdotal stories. After an amicable divorce Mark and Nunzia stayed fast friends.

More recently, Mark married again in Germany, to a lovely woman, Kathy David, who was with him when he died.

Mark was also a gifted cyclist and cycling coach (“2TheFront”), mentoring his students with care and a deep knowledge of bicycles and cycling strategy. He was a category two racer, the top category for amateurs. As a racer, he was the consummate teammate and a strong domestique, and helped fellow teammates win many races. He was often able to single-handedly control the peloton, allowing teammates up the road to excel and take the win. In his coaching career, he coached cyclists, triathletes, distance runners, cross-country skiers, motocross racers and boxers. He helped people with training, bike fit, biomechanics, and performance testing. His interests in the sport ranged from tactics to fitness, tech to cross training (of which he was a huge proponent, especially in the winter).

He designed a people’s racing bicycle when he worked for CMB, the well-known bicycle frame-maker in Italy. He also worked in Italy for Campagnolo, the famous bicycle components manufacturer, doing international marketing, and in San Mateo for Ritchey, again in marketing. In Salt Lake City, Utah, he did marketing for Lineo, focusing on high-tech operating systems for mobile devices.

He founded the Fremont Bank Cycling Team in Northern California in 2010, and directed other teams as well. He was a cross country skier and raced twice in the American Birkebeiner in the wave 1 level.

Mark wrote over forty articles for Cycling Utah and Cycling West. Additionally, over the years, he wrote for triathlon magazines Lava and Triathlete, and for the national cycling magazine VeloNews.

Mark was the beloved son of Bill Deterline, now deceased, and Lynne and Austin Henderson, the beloved brother of Brooke and Kimberly Deterline, and half-brother of Charlie Deterline. He was beloved by his family and friends, known for his sensitivity, empathy, generosity of spirit, and knack for making people laugh and feel loved. The family has been deeply touched and nearly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from friends across his life.

Memorial Service:

A memorial service for Mark Deterline will be held on Sunday, the 18th of August, at the Unitarian Universal Church of Berkeley at 1 Lawton Ave. in Kensington from 2:00 to  4:00 p.m. A reception will follow at the home of Lynne and Austin Henderson, Mark’s parents, at 644 Cragmont Ave. in Berkeley, 94708.

Remembrances:

Please email remembrances or photos that you have taken of Mark to [email protected], and we will add them to this page.