Kristy Gough, Ironman Pro and Rising Cyclist, Hit by Sheriff Deputy’s Car and Killed
Posted Mar. 11, 2008
Kristy Gough, 30, of San Leandro, California, a professional triathlete and a rising star in cycling, died March 9 when a rookie Santa Clara County deputy sheriff veered into the opposite lane of traffic and struck three bicyclists, killing two and leaving a 20-year-old in critical condition. Also killed in the incident on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino, California, was Matt Peterson, 29, of San Francisco, whom friends described as avid amateur cyclist who embraced various challenging endurance tests including Ironman Lake Placid.
The unidentified deputy was driving northbound when his white cruiser accidentally crossed over the double yellow line between Montebello and Ricardo Roads and hit the three cyclists, said Santa Clara County Sheriffs spokesman Sgt. Don Morrissey. The deputy, who had been working for the department for 18 months, immediately offered assistance to the cyclists and radioed for medical aid, said Morrissey.
Gough and Peterson and the third cyclist were on a training ride and broke away from a group of eight others when they were hit by the deputy at 10:25 a.m. Sunday, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
Peterson was pronounced dead at the scene. Peterson died several hours later at Stanford University Medical Center, where the third cyclist, whose name was not released, was admitted with major injuries, said a California Highway Patrol spokesman.
Gough was a star triathlete who won her age group at Ironman Hawaii in 2004 and scored a third place overall at Ironman UK in 2006 as a professional. In the past few months, friends told the San Francisco Chronicle that Gough had switched her focus to cycling and had won several San Francisco area road races. Matt Willinger, a friend and fellow cyclist, said that Gough was working with two trainers from Belarus. “They were ecstatic about her progress in cycling ... and wanted her to go to Olympics and world championships in cycling,” Willinger told the Chronicle.
Clas Bjorling, a professional triathlete from Sweden and Gough’s longtime boyfriend, told the Chronicle: “I’ve never seen her so enthusiastic as in the last couple of months. She was a really talented athlete, especially on the bike.”
Friends who gathered at a candlelight memorial service for Peterson at Ocean Beach in San Francisco Sunday night told the San Francisco Chronicle that Peterson was “an adrenaline junkie” who was “always trying to do the hardest thing out there.” Peterson, they said, once weighed well over 250 pounds before he took on challenges like a 24-hour mountain biking race in pouring rain in Whistler, British Columbia, and Ironman Lake Placid. Peterson had been doing competitive road racing for five years. On March 1, he fulfilled a two-year goal by winning his age group at MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic in Merced, California.
Article Tools