Tag: Ironman training

The pickup truck driver in a crash that killed two cyclists in Pilot Point last December was unlicensed and speeding, according to a Texas Department of Transportation report.

Andre Kocher, 60, and Scott Mages, 55, were training for an upcoming Ironman triathlon on Dec. 20 when they were struck from behind by a pickup truck, the Star-Telegram previously reported.

Mages and Kocher were thrown from their bikes and “carried further from the point of impact than the bicycles,” an investigator wrote in the report. Both men were taken to area hospitals, where they later died.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 23-year-old man, was “speeding and not paying attention in front of him,” the investigator reported. He continued to drive away from the scene after striking the cyclists, but returned prior to first responders arriving.

The driver was unlicensed, and presented officers with a Texas identification card at the scene, according to the report. He also refused to submit to drug and alcohol testing.

“This investigation continues to be open and ongoing,” officials with the Pilot Point Police Department said Wednesday. “Our priority is to ensure that all facts are fully examined before any final determinations are made.”

Mages and Kocher, both members of the Frisco Triathlon Club, were “informal leaders” that everyone in the club looked up to, their teammate Jeff Beckley told the Star-Telegram.

The pair came to the sport about 10 years ago and created many lasting friendships within it, Beckley said.

Mages, a Marine veteran, loved being outside: he went paragliding, ran a 100-mile ultramarathon and hiked the Grand Canyon, always sharing the stories when he returned home, Beckley said.

Kocher was a grandfather and a sucker for extra hours on the bike trails, Beckley said. He ran a real-estate business with his wife Kelli, and always tended to slow down during the running portion of an Ironman race.