Promising amateur cyclist killed as teens race cars

The future must have been looking pretty bright for Jorge Alvarado on Thursday morning as he headed south on his bicycle for a solo training ride on Greenspot Road in California's eastern San Bernardino County.

The 27-year-old cyclist from Mexico had made it onto the roster of the Bahati Foundation cycling team in March. He recently had won the UCLA Road Race and finished 5th at the Redlands Classic pro/am crit.

On tap was this weekend's Dana Point Grand Prix and the upcoming SRAM Tour of the Gila at the end of April. There he'd get the chance to race against Dave Zabriskie, Danny Pate, Tom Danielson and other pros preparing for the Tour of California.

But this Thursday morning, Sheriff's investigators say a high school senior made the decision to pass a classmate's car at 70 mph. He lost control and spun across the oncoming lanes of traffic and onto the opposite shoulder where he struck Alvarado, who was thrown into a field where he died.

The Sheriff's Department did not arrest the 18-year-old driver, his passenger, or two other classmates from Redlands East Valley High School who were driving their cars. The department is waiting for conclusion from the collision investigation. Sheriff's Sgt. Don Mahoney told the Press-Enterprise:

“We expect to send this off to the DA with a request for prosecution.”

Deputies told the Press-Enterprise that racing is not uncommon along that desolate stretch of road that's a natural attraction for kids in cars.

In a VeloNews story, members of the Bahati Foundation pro cycling team describe Alvarado as a natural fit into that team. The Bahati Foundation was formed by Compton's Rahsaan Bahati, a cyclist and activist who tries to reach out to inner-city youth.

Another of the newer members of that team is Floyd Landis, who, together with CEO Eric Smart, notified Alvarado's brother of the death. The brother was trying to notify his parents in rural Mexico on Friday.

Many of the stories describe Alvarado as a promising amateur cyclist with a glowing personality.

His death is a tragedy that's repeated 700 to 800 times a year on U.S. streets and highways.

Bicyclists are leaving memorial comments for Alvarado at the Bahati Foundation's Facebook page. There's also a memorial at the Bahati Foundation team website.