In the News: Cyclist killed during warm-up at Kansas state TT championships

Glenda Taylor, a staple of the Midwest bicycle-racing scene, was tragically killed Sunday morning. According to an article in The Topeka Capital Journal, Taylor was struck by a pickup truck while warming-up for her event at the Kansas state time trial championships.

Taylor was not only an avid rider, but also an avid racer. She competed across multiple disciplines and earned a bronze medal at the U.S. cyclocross national championships in January in Austin, Texas. According to a blog post written by a good friend of Taylor’s, Steve Tilford, “[Taylor] loved to ride her bike and compete. She raced virtually every race she could attend.” Though she had just returned from time abroad last week, Taylor “went directly to the Tour of Kansas City.”

Taylor was a “very special part of our Topeka cycling tribe,” Tilford wrote.

Taylor worked at Washburn University, where she was head of the art department. “We’re devastated. It’s a tragic loss to her family and to the university,” WU president Jerry Farley was quoted in the Topeka Capital Journal. Taylor had recently returned from a trip in Peru with other faculty and students of Washburn University. Many have offered their condolences on Glenda Taylor’s Facebook page. She leaves behind her loving husband, Joe Saia, who is also a faculty member at Washburn University.