Honoring the founder of TOSRV | Dispatch

I never met Charles Siple, but I feel like I know him … and owe him a debt of gratitude. You do too if you’ve ever ridden on a bike path, with a bike club or in an organized ride. And especially if you've ridden TOSRV.
Charles, 94, passed away last week. He was a World War II veteran, artist, dedicated letter writer and Master Penman, husband, father and grandfather.
But the Clintonville resident is perhaps best known for creating the Tour of the Scioto River Valley, or TOSRV.
Charles was a bike rider long before it was cool and popular to be a bike rider.
tosrv22On a scorching-hot July day in 1962, Charles and his son, Greg,  16 at the time, went on a "little" father-and-son bike ride from Columbus to Portsmouth and then back the next day, a 200-plus-mile trip.
This just wasn’t something people did back then.

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