R.I.P. Chris ‘Monk Dawg’ Vasquez

Chris Vasquez, known as Monk Dawg, was likely the most well-known mechanic on the World Cup circuit. Monk Dawg would fashion his own parts in the off-season, to shave weight off his racers’ bikes and he was famous for being the last man in the pits every night.

He worked with many of the best riders in the business, including Aaron Gwin, Missy Giove, Jill Kintner, Geoff Kabush and most recently for Trek World Racing. Despite his high profile clientele, Monk earned a reputation for helping out anyone who asked, from privateer pros to amateurs.

In March Paula Lopes, Brian’s wife, launched a campaign on GoFundMe to offset Monk’s mounting medical bills, raising over 18k. Alas it wasn’t enough and Monk passed away yesterday.

Many athletes left tributes on social media. Here are two of them.

Check out Martin Whiteley’s tribute to Monk here…

What a nasty year for the MTB community.