It’s with great sadness that I pass on the news that our friend Chris ‘CJ’ Johnson passed away on March 5th in his adopted home of Honolulu, Hawaii. CJ was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer, on February 13th, 2025.
CJ was one of the most passionate and dedicated individuals I’ve ever known—a fierce advocate for cyclist and pedestrian rights, a defender of marginalized communities, and a beloved member of the Fort Collins cycling scene. He was opinionated, idealistic, and kind of a pain in the ass, and I loved him for it.
He was one of my biggest supporters when I first launched YGR in 2008. I still remember him rolling up next to me in the paceline and introducing himself as we were rolling into Severance on the Oval one winter morning. We rode together and helped manage the First City Cycling Team for many years. He was with me when I crashed hard coming down Rattlesnake. We worked together to bring the US Pro Cycling Challenge to Fort Collins in 2013, and he did it again in 2015. A diehard bike commuter, CJ rarely drove anywhere. He was pretty damn fast, too—he still holds the Creepy Cult Climb KOM on Strava (I tried like hell to take that from him and never could).
His contributions to the Fort Collins cycling scene are endless. From 2015 to 2018, CJ served as the Executive Director at Bike Fort Collins, where his leadership and vision helped shape the city’s cycling culture. During that time, we worked together on the NoCo Bike Show and several Rides of Silence.
CJ moved to Fort Collins in 2005. He and his wife, Ananda Luttet, moved from Fort Collins to San Jose in 2018 before settling in Honolulu. In recent years, he had taken up running and had qualified for and was training for the Boston Marathon in 2025. At the time of his passing, he was working with AlohaCare, a community-led, non-profit health plan.
Rest in peace, friend.
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