TX - Moriah Wilson, 25, prized cyclist, fatally shot before race, Austin, May 2022 #2

[Curious_in_NC]

My understanding is that CS and MW had both planned to participate in the race. CS in the men’s race and MW in the women’s race.point

From the article:

“Other pros lining up for the GL150 include Ted King, Ian Boswell, Pete Stetina, Colin Strickland, Brennan Wertz, and South African Matt Beers. The women’s race will be animated by Newsom, Mo Wilson, Sarah Sturm, and Jess Cerra”

I think the OP was wondering if they would have ridden together at some point. My understanding is that it's a mass start with men and women racing together. There were only 150 entrants in the main/longest event and only 6 or 7 were women. I would expect CS and MW could have encountered each other at aid stations along the way too. But at some point in these races, typically the fastest men will break away from the rest of the riders. MOO
edit - corrected initials

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I can't find it right now but I think one of the cycling press articles linked earlier in this thread stated that MW and CS competed in the Sea Otter Classic in California earlier this year and they did a four hour training ride together.

ETA Here's a link to results Results
MW placed 1st in Open Women (3:24) and CS finished 29th in Open Men (3:10). There were a lot of entrants and categories (Sea Otter is a big cycling event, not just a gravel race) so I don't know if they would have ridden together in the race.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Found a writeup about the 2022 Hico GL race, sweet tribute to MW.

Mo’s parents let Fabian know it was in their wishes to continue the race and for us to ride like Mo would ride, with power, valor, and grace. Beyond that, we were all down here in Texas to support Fabian and what he’d created. The race had to go on, in honor of Mo. Fabian spent all night crafting a eulogy to honor her and read it over the PA system. Many of us broke down on that start line. It was decided the first 8 miles to the water crossing would be a procession for her. There, at the river’s banks, we had a moment of silence before crossing and picking up the race in earnest.

Groad Trip: Remembering Mo and racing the Dutch contingent at Gravel Locos

Some 1,500 of us came together in Hico, Texas for a community event that was shaped by tragedy.

www.velonews.com

 

[Cryptic]

Also on a scale of 1-10 how competitive is the sport?

I know nothing about cycling of any sort.

But.... I am familiar with distance running. My bet is that they two have alot in common. If so, the competitors can be divided into two general types:

- Large numbers of Amateurs, including serious amateurs: Competing for bragging rights, personal bests, and the right to honestly wear race T-shirts and display car stickers etc.

Personal drive can be intense, but.... at the end of the day, these runners know in advance they are not going to come any where near to winning. So, why get totally bent out of shape?

- Small number of Professionals: Same race could well be a whole different ball game. The US sports market is yuuuge. As a result, top competitors in some second and even third tier sports can still pull in millions of dollars in a career.

Small amounts of time between professionals can determine whether one's time gets noticed by the big name sponsors or- is an "also ran" time. Then factor in that because the sport is not NFL sized, big name sponsors are only interested in a handful of the "best of the best".

Thus, the same race could be very, very competitive between the small number of top tier professionals.

And finally what was the award for successfuly winning first place in the Hico Tx race?

I imagine that the actual cash award was probably largely symbolic.

Rather, the true money comes from big name sponsors who notice the top finishers and then see if success at one race is followed by success in other races.

 

[azure]

Close to 35, relationships either move towards nesting, or partners start thinking that maybe it is not destined to be forever.

Respectfully I think your views are outdated. Per the Pew Research Center, "The share of adults ages 25 to 54 who are currently married fell from 67% in 1990 to 53% in 2019." Fewer people are getting married than ever before, and fewer people are imagining their romantic lives end at 35. In a large city, I think a millennial 35 is more like a Gen-X 25.

I also don't see how it applies here, if KA was attempting to force CS to nest, she did a very poor job of it by ensuring she'd never see him again. If CS was thinking it wasn't destined to be forever, why did he cheat instead of simply leaving?

 

[di anna]

I know nothing about cycling of any sort.

But.... I am familiar with distance running. My bet is that they two have alot in common. If so, the competitors can be divided into two general types:

- Large numbers of Amateurs, including serious amateurs: Competing for bragging rights, personal bests, and the right to honestly wear race T-shirts and display car stickers etc.

Personal drive can be intense, but.... at the end of the day, these runners know in advance they are not going to come any where near to winning. So, why get totally bent out of shape?

- Small number of Professionals: Same race could well be a whole different ball game. The US sports market is yuuuge. As a result, top competitors in some second and even third tier sports can still pull in millions of dollars in a career.

Small amounts of time between professionals can determine whether one's time gets noticed by the big name sponsors or- is an "also ran" time. Then factor in that because the sport is not NFL sized, big name sponsors are only interested in a handful of the "best of the best".

Thus, the same race could be very, very competitive between the small number of top tier professionals.


I imagine that the actual cash award was probably largely symbolic.

Rather, the true money comes from big name sponsors who notice the top finishers and then see if success at one race is followed by success in other races.

However, in this particular race there could have been SOMETHING super to gain. The question is what and how did it effect others. Was it a chance to race in a bigger event because you won? Was there super recognition, perhaps a new sponsor, opportunities to travel Europe at a nominal cost, etc.

 

[di anna]

Respectfully I think your views are outdated. Per the Pew Research Center, "The share of adults ages 25 to 54 who are currently married fell from 67% in 1990 to 53% in 2019." Fewer people are getting married than ever before, and fewer people are imagining their romantic lives end at 35. In a large city, I think a millennial 35 is more like a Gen-X 25.

I also don't see how it applies here, if KA was attempting to force CS to nest, she did a very poor job of it by ensuring she'd never see him again. If CS was thinking it wasn't destined to be forever, why did he cheat instead of simply leaving?

Because it was not just a romantic relationship but a business partnership also.

 

[windrower]

I know nothing about cycling of any sort.

But.... I am familiar with distance running. My bet is that they two have alot in common. If so, the competitors can be divided into two general types:

- Large numbers of Amateurs, including serious amateurs: Competing for bragging rights, personal bests, and the right to honestly wear race T-shirts and display car stickers etc.

Personal drive can be intense, but.... at the end of the day, these runners know in advance they are not going to come any where near to winning. So, why get totally bent out of shape?

- Small number of Professionals: Same race could well be a whole different ball game. The US sports market is yuuuge. As a result, top competitors in some second and even third tier sports can still pull in millions of dollars in a career.

Small amounts of time between professionals can determine whether one's time gets noticed by the big name sponsors or- is an "also ran" time. Then factor in that because the sport is not NFL sized, big name sponsors are only interested in a handful of the "best of the best".

Thus, the same race could be very, very competitive between the small number of top tier professionals.


I imagine that the actual cash award was probably largely symbolic.

Rather, the true money comes from big name sponsors who notice the top finishers and then see if success at one race is followed by success in other races.

rbbm

So, MW, as the women’s front runner, and CS, as a men’s upper tier competitor, could conceivably have been in competition for some sponsorships? Or am I mistaken?

 

[di anna]

rbbm

So, MW, as the women’s front runner, and CS, as a men’s upper tier competitor, could conceivably have been in competition for some sponsorships? Or am I mistaken?

Something was up.

 

[Cryptic]

rbbm

So, MW, as the women’s front runner, and CS, as a men’s upper tier competitor, could conceivably have been in competition for some sponsorships? Or am I mistaken?

Now that you mention it, I think you are right with the key word being "conceivably- though it would depend on the potential sponsor.

But.... lets say that a sponsor was looking for a "racer" with certain qualifications, and not a male racer nor female racer per se.

Such qualifications could be generic: Attractive beyond the standard athletic "hard body"- everybody in the race has one of those. Personable and easy to work with. And, of course, consistent with top tier times.

Going to my very vague recollection about the possible numbers.....

I think there were 185 racers. Of these, it looked like 6-7 men were professionals of varying levels. Lets add 2 additional "sleeper" male amateurs of the serious sort who turned in unexpectedly good times for this specific race.

For the women, I think there were about 8 entries total. MW could have been the only professional woman of any level. Likewise, the pool of women entries could be too small to pull a "sleeper" from, but lets say there was also one woman amateur with truly competitive times.

Thus, about 9 men and 2 women (at best) could have been competing for potential sponsorship attention, whether gender specific, or "Just looking for an interesting racer" type interest. As you stated, MW and CS would be in this pool and if there was a "just need an interesting racer" potential sponsor, they would be competing against each other.

Going into deeper waters with a totally amateur analysis, MW with her clean good looks, personality and "left Dartmouth behind" story would seem to be very competitive in regards to sponsorships- if she could add attention getting times to her other qualifications.

 

[Cryptic]

However, in this particular race there could have been SOMETHING super to gain. The question is what and how did it effect others. Was it a chance to race in a bigger event because you won? Was there super recognition, perhaps a new sponsor, opportunities to travel Europe at a nominal cost, etc.

I can only make educated guesses regarding broad concepts, this is far too specific for me. But.... maybe a cycling member knows?

 

[azure]

I'm a pro equestrian and I know a bunch of international riders and Olympians in my sport. I also have friends who are pro skateboarders and even gravel racers. I think the average person would be surprised how many sponsorships don't include cash, or much of it. A lot of sponsorships just provide the athlete with free gear. Even CS's Red Bull sponsorship was probably not a huge $$ investment in him. He probably got some cash, some gear, and some clout.

Again, this isn't professional basketball. Sponsors are going to hand out $$ amounts according to how much attention the sport gets nationally, that's how they end up making $. Gravel racing is currently pretty tiny, so sponsorship budgets are going to be small.

 

[SteveP]

I'm a pro equestrian and I know a bunch of international riders and Olympians in my sport. I also have friends who are pro skateboarders and even gravel racers. I think the average person would be surprised how many sponsorships don't include cash, or much of it. A lot of sponsorships just provide the athlete with free gear. Even CS's Red Bull sponsorship was probably not a huge $$ investment in him. He probably got some cash, some gear, and some clout.

Again, this isn't professional basketball. Sponsors are going to hand out $$ amounts according to how much attention the sport gets nationally, that's how they end up making $. Gravel racing is currently pretty tiny, so sponsorship budgets are going to be small.

I agree. I get the sense from some of these posts that people are wondering if MW was killed because she was seen as a competitor for sponsors with CS, theoretically taking money from him. Like you said, the sponsorships are not huge cash for even the top tier riders, but basically maybe a token sum of money, free gear, supplies, food and drink, etc. This is a niche sport, that even the best known champions would seldom be recognized by name or face, by most people outside of their sport. I do not believe CS would ever have been able to make enough money as a rider to live comfortably, which is probably why he had other jobs. He was already past his prime at 35, and had likely already reached his pinancle, with nowhere to go but down. MW was likely killed because she was a seen as a competitor, but not a competitor for sponsors, a competitor for CS's attention. JMO

 

[di anna]

I think a particular group of people compete in these competitions. Certainly they are not the average joe worrying about
car notes, mortgage payments, food on the table. Therefore these are people that can gamble on winning or losing and
rely on a substance of sorts, ie: be it investments, wealth, illegal activities, etc. rather than holding down (old fashioned) 9-5 jobs. People that invest money and know how to hide money. Not the average person, just my opinion.

 

[azure]

I think a particular group of people compete in these competitions. Certainly they are not the average joe worrying about
car notes, mortgage payments, food on the table. Therefore these are people that can gamble on winning or losing and
rely on a substance of sorts, ie: be it investments, wealth, illegal activities, etc. rather than holding down (old fashioned) 9-5 jobs. People that invest money and know how to hide money. Not the average person, just my opinion.

Everyone in the world worries about car notes, mortgage payments, and food on the table, unless they're born to wealthy parents. Gravel racers are not adrenaline junkies in the sense of taking huge risks to life and limb. They beat their bodies into the dirt under often brutal weather conditions, and spend hours upon hours on bikes training. I think the fact that Mo, one of the world's top female gravel racers, was staying with a pal for free instead of at a 5* hotel really speaks to how incorrect you are about this. It's an incredibly humbling sport, and the average participant is a humble person.

 

[Cryptic]

I'm a pro equestrian and I know a bunch of international riders and Olympians in my sport. I also have friends who are pro skateboarders and even gravel racers. I think the average person would be surprised how many sponsorships don't include cash, or much of it.

Again, this isn't professional basketball. Sponsors are going to hand out $$ amounts according to how much attention the sport gets nationally, that's how they end up making $. Gravel racing is currently pretty tiny, so sponsorship budgets are going to be small.

Objectively, I agree completely with your analysis 100%.

At the same time the US sports market is huge and changing. The public is slowly, but steadily losing interest in NBA, NFL and MLB. As you implied, earnings in these sports are astronomical. But in the end, fewer members of the public are scheduling their TV weekends around what is, or is not, occurring on the Diamond, Court or Gridiron.

This leaves companies looking for fresh sports and fresh faces. Mountain bike racing could be a good source of both.

Going a little more specific, when I lived in SOCAL I remember reading about raging parties being a regular occurance in an otherwise sedate ocean front neighborhood of premium homes. Tragically, a young woman was killed at one of the parties after being struck by a car during alcohol fueled drama.

Anyways, party host and home owner was none other than a local twenty something year old, BMX racing champion (pedal bikes). The sport was probably third tier- or even lower on the national scale. The article added that the party animal had started pedaling in a hard scrabble San Diego suburb- then pedaled his way towards several million dollars in earnings.

 

[Mariposa]

I'm a pro equestrian and I know a bunch of international riders and Olympians in my sport. I also have friends who are pro skateboarders and even gravel racers. I think the average person would be surprised how many sponsorships don't include cash, or much of it. A lot of sponsorships just provide the athlete with free gear. Even CS's Red Bull sponsorship was probably not a huge $$ investment in him. He probably got some cash, some gear, and some clout.

Again, this isn't professional basketball. Sponsors are going to hand out $$ amounts according to how much attention the sport gets nationally, that's how they end up making $. Gravel racing is currently pretty tiny, so sponsorship budgets are going to be small.

Thanks for this explanation. Other than Red Bull, most of the sponsors in the mix in this situation seem to be very niche brands, including specialty apparel and nutrition services, etc. Meteor Cafe was a sponsor of both MW and CS and appears to be just that, a cafe/bar with a focus on cycling with only two locations (Austin TX and Bentonville AR). I was thinking the social media synergy between athlete and brand, with sponsored Instagram posts and the like, is probably a big part of it more so than major cash outlays.

 

[azure]

Anyways, party host and home owner was none other than a local twenty something year old, two time BMX racing champion (pedal bikes). The sport was probably third tier- or even lower. The article added that the party animal had started pedaling in a hard scrabble, dusty San Diego suburb- then went on to rack up several million dollars in earnings.

BMX is an early X-Games sport and has a WAY bigger following than other cycling-related sports, more like pro skateboarding and snowboarding.

 

[di anna]

Everyone in the world worries about car notes, mortgage payments, and food on the table, unless they're born to wealthy parents. Gravel racers are not adrenaline junkies in the sense of taking huge risks to life and limb. They beat their bodies into the dirt under often brutal weather conditions, and spend hours upon hours on bikes training. I think the fact that Mo, one of the world's top female gravel racers, was staying with a pal for free instead of at a 5* hotel really speaks to how incorrect you are about this. It's an incredibly humbling sport, and the average participant is a humble person.

Hey, sorry no offense here. I like to learn and ask questions. There are many things that I do not know about. Like the old saying goes, the older you get the more you find out you don't know!

 

[Charlot123]

Respectfully I think your views are outdated. Per the Pew Research Center, "The share of adults ages 25 to 54 who are currently married fell from 67% in 1990 to 53% in 2019." Fewer people are getting married than ever before, and fewer people are imagining their romantic lives end at 35. In a large city, I think a millennial 35 is more like a Gen-X 25.

I also don't see how it applies here, if KA was attempting to force CS to nest, she did a very poor job of it by ensuring she'd never see him again. If CS was thinking it wasn't destined to be forever, why did he cheat instead of simply leaving?

Ughm, I definitely feel that the people have the right to be free and to choose, as long as there is no family and kids, you call it outdated? (I have one millennial in the family, btw, and you quotation made me somewhat hopeful.)

Now, an IT millennial living in a metropolis is not representative of the whole country, but here is an article I ran across several times and am constantly thinking about: New Study: Millennial Women Are Delaying Having Children Due To Their Careers.

As to KA, I truly don’t know what this complex person wanted. I merely pointed out that partnership is moving in either direction.

All of it doesn’t change the vileness of the murder, and I hope that KA will be apprehended soon, to provide closure to MO’s family.