Mary Jane Reoch

Mary Jane Reoch
Born February 1, 1945
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Died September 11, 1993(1993-09-11) (aged 48)
Dallas, Texas
Nationality American
Other names Miji
Occupation Cyclist

Mary Jane "Miji" Reoch (February 1, 1945 – September 11, 1993) was an American cyclist. She won 11 national championships during her cycling career and afterwards worked as a cycling coach. She was killed in a road accident while training a client in 1993. She was posthumously inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1994.

Career

Reoch was born on February 1, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] She began cycling and racing in her mid-twenties.[2]

Reoch won 11 national championships, in various cycling events throughout the 1970s and early 80s, including the Tour of Somerville in 1976 and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in 1979.[3][4] She was the first woman to ride the three-kilometer pursuit in under 4 minutes.[5]

In 1977, she started to work as a cycling coach, coaching many individuals and teams for roughly the next 15 years. She is known in particular for coaching Connie Carpenter, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics.[5][3][6]

Personal life

She married John Reoch, a lawyer.[7] When Reoch was 35 years old, she rode 12 miles (19 km) on her bike to the hospital to give birth to her first daughter Solange.[8][9] "I was snickering to myself as I'd passed people, thinking, 'If only they knew,'" she said.[8] The couple moved to Dallas and later divorced.[2]

Roech was killed in a road accident on September 11, 1993. She was training a cycling student named Bill Seals at White Rock Lake in Dallas at roughly 9:15 am. While they were cycling, a pickup truck went into their lane, striking Roech head-on and throwing her 95 feet (29 m) into the lake, killing her. Seals flew over his handlebars and landed on the pavement, out of panic.[3][6] The pickup truck driver fled the scene. He was arrested in Michoacan, Mexico, in July 1996 and charged with involuntary manslaughter.[6]

Posthumous honors

In 1994, Roech was posthumously inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.[4][5] Fuji Bikes established the annual Miji Reoch Award for "the best young female rider under the age of 23", which includes a $1000 cash prize.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Mary Jane -Miji- Reoch". el sitio de Ciclismo. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 Carpenter, Connie (2015), "From Silver Blades to Golden Bikes", in Clemitson, Suze, Ride the Revolution: The Inside Stories from Women in Cycling, Bloomsbury Publishing, pp. 54–55, ISBN 9781472912930
  3. 1 2 3 "Champion U.S. cyclist killed by hit-run driver". UPI. September 18, 1993. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Hall of Fame". Valley Preferred Cycling Center. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "Mary Jane Reoch Inducted in 1994 for Modern Road & Track Competitor (1945-1975)". U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Suspect Nabbed In 1993 Hit-and-Run Death of U.S. National Cycling Champ". Associated Press News. August 2, 1996. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Holloway, Karel (September 2012). "Visit a Dallas house that was built to look old". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Expectant mother pedals to hospital". Weekly World News. October 20, 1981. ISSN 0199-574X. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  9. ↑ Chauner, David; Halstead, Michael (1990). The Tour de France Complete Book of Cycling. Villard Books. pp. 145, 146. ISBN 0679729364. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  10. ↑ George, John (May 16, 2013). "Philly Cycling Classic sets teams, awards". Biz Journals. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Fuji Sponsors Miji Reoch Award". Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. June 3, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
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