Austin Cycling Community Comes Together for Moriah Wilson Memorial
On Sunday, May 29, hundreds from the Austin cycling community gathered to mourn the loss of Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson, a rising star in gravel and mountain racing.
The memorial, which started in downtown Austin and ended with a group ride to Deep Eddy Pool, was organized by local riders, who led a discussion that honored Wilson’s life while expressing the shared pain felt throughout the cycling world in response to her murder.
“We spend a lot of time together on the bike, riding on the road and building trust, trust that will keep each other safe,” memorial co-organizer Cinthia Pedraza told the crowd on the steps of the Federal Courthouse Plaza. “That trust was shattered when a member of our community likely took the life of Moriah Wilson. We are here today to say that the violence that took the life of Mo was not okay, and we are not okay.”
According to the Austin American-Statesman, police officers responded to a 911 call on May 11 at a home in East Austin, where a woman told 911 operators that she had returned home to find her friend, Wilson, bleeding and unconscious from multiple gunshot wounds. Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene. The 25-year-old Vermont native had flown to Texas in preparation for the Gravel Locos race in Hico, where she was favored to win.
On May 20, local law enforcement officials issued an arrest warrant for Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, who is suspected of killing Wilson. According to the Austin American-Statesman, an arrest warrant issued by Austin police details a love triangle that includes Colin Strickland, a male professional cyclist, and Armstrong. On May 18, federal agents said that Armstrong may have fled to New York days after being interviewed by police in relation to Wilson’s murder. She remains at large.
“I was at the Gravel Locos event where Mo was supposed to compete when I heard of her passing. It was super shocking and distressing. As a native Austinite, I couldn't believe it happened in my town,” memorial co-organizer Laura Carbonneau told Bicycling in a statement.
Carbonneau, Pedraza, and Caitlin Milam organized Sunday’s memorial, which included a reading of Wilson’s obituary, words from community members, a statement from Wilson’s family, and a moment of silence for the young cyclist. The memorial also directed attendees to a GoFundMe page created by Wilson’s family, who aim to honor her by raising money for community youth organizations dedicated to biking and skiing, two of Wilson’s biggest passions.
Prior to her death, Wilson was in the middle of a breakthrough season. In April, she won the Sea Otter Fuego 80km mountain bike race and the 136-mile Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR). The performances put her in the lead in both the Life Time Grand Prix and the BWR Quadruple Crown of Gravel series. According to VeloNews, the former Specialized employee recently left her job to focus on her professional racing career.
“Cycling is a sport of champions, heroes,” David Comer, president of the Austin-based Violet Crown Sports Association, told the crowd. “Mo Wilson earned her place among them. In this sport, we share a lot with our heroes. We ride the same roads together. We train together, we share the joy and the suffering that comes with finishing a race. So, I know that when it was announced that Mo passed away, we all shared in that pain and that loss together, the loss of a daughter, the loss of a friend, the loss of a champion for women in sport.”
Talib Abdullahi, 32, founder of the Black History Bike Ride in Austin, provided organizers with the portable speaker system used during the memorial. A native of Austin for 14 years, Abdullahi told Bicycling he was in “disbelief” when he heard about Wilson’s death. “It's a terrible tragedy, and my thought is that no person, but especially a cyclist, deserves to have that be their fate,” he said. “I think everyone deserves honesty, straightforwardness, and safety.”
After the service downtown, attendees hopped on their bikes for a short ride to Deep Eddy Pool, one of the places Wilson enjoyed during her time in Austin. When the crowd arrived, organizers placed a bike wheel with a photo of Wilson on the fence to honor her memory.
After the memorial ended, Trianna Merced, 39, told Bicycling, “I'm here because I feel the pain of losing someone that I looked to in sports.”
Merced, who rode with Wilson on several occasions, said she “embodied that ultimate woman in cycling.”
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