USA National Cycling Champion Jake Boykin, 25, was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Friday 22 September in Florida while on a final training ride just prior to the Six Gap gran fondo in Georgia.

Boykin was in Jefferson County, Florida when he was hit by a pickup truck driven by a 60 year-old man, who then fled the scene in the truck, according to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report. An emergency medical helicopter airlifted Boykin to hospital, but he later died from injuries sustained in the hit-and-run.

FHP officers discovered Boykin’s bike still impaled into the front grill of the pickup when they tracked down the vehicle and arrested the driver a short time later. FHP Traffic Homicide division is investigating the tragic incident and whether the pickup driver was drunk driving, according to a spokesperson.

Representing Florida State University, Boykin won the 2023 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championship Time Trial last May in his home state of New Mexico. He then moved up to race in elite P1/2 category events, finishing 9th at Ice Cream Hill Road Race just a few days before being killed.

Fellow cyclist Dr. Gabrielle Gabrielli told the Tallahassee Democrate, “Very smart, kind, energetic and down-to-earth. [Boykin] had such a bright future ahead of him, and he should be alive today. This is just such a tragedy for the community and for everybody who loved Jake.”

Photo Credit: Facebook/SECCCCYCLING

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