Ghost bike ride memorializes cyclist killed near Carter lake

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. -- Family, friends and fellow cyclists are remembering Jason Holden, who was killed while riding on a county road near Carter Lake last month.

The group rode to the location where he died and set up a white ghost bike on Saturday afternoon.

"I think the ghost bike is a really dramatic reminder that someone,;  a father, outdoorsman, someone who loved Colorado is no longer with us. It's just very, very sad,"   said Jeff Hindman, who has lost four friends in cycling accidents.

Holden, 43, was killed on the evening of Sept. 20 on Larimer County Road 8E in the area of Carter Lake and the entrance to the Berthoud water treatment plant.

The Colorado State Patrol was looking for a white sedan or small SUV which may have made contact with Holden and caused him to lose control.

Holden fell from his bike and was struck by a vehicle. That driver stayed at the scene.  

Many who spoke at a vigil for Holden on Saturday afternoon said there is a bigger issue of cyclist safety that needs to be addressed.

"Quite a few of the roads where people like to ride in the Foothills are not really adequate to be shared by bikes and cars. So, I think all of us who ride, because we love it, know how dangerous it is and it really hits home when someone loses their life," said Hindman.

Holden's wife, Kari, wants to prevent another tragedy. She is considering a couple of options, including new mountain bike trails to get cyclists off County Road 8E or a bike-driver safety awareness campaign, according to a GoFundMe account set up to help the Holden family.

If you have any information that can help investigators locate the driver of the vehicle that may have struck Holden you are asked to call the State Patrol dispatch at (303) 239-4501.