March 10, 2019 (Stanford, California) – US Olympic silver medalist and three-time world champion, Kelly Catlin, 23, from St. Paul, Minnesota, passed away on March 7th. A member of the Rally UNHC Pro Cycling Team as of 2017 she was enrolled in the graduate program pursuing a degree in Computational Mathematics at Stanford University.

“There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived,” her father told Velonews. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.” Catlin was found deceased by her roommate in their shared dorm room located on the Stanford University Campus. According to reports she died by suicide.

As a major figure in the U.S cycling scene, Catlin played a pivotal role in helping the U.S achieve three consecutive world titles in team pursuit between 2016 and 2018, along with a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  Her individual achievements are highlighted by a bronze medal in individual pursuit at the 2018 track world championships.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Catlin family,” said USA Cycling in a statement. “Kelly was more than an athlete to us, she was and will always be part of the USA Cycling family. This is an incredibly difficult time for the Catlin family and we want to respect their privacy while they support each other.”

After suffering from injuries pertaining to running in her mid-teens, Catlin picked up cycling as an alternative sport at the age of 17. She was picked up by Rally UNHC Pro Cycling Team in 2017 at the age of 21, and has been with them ever since.

The team released a statement in wake of her passing, saying that, “The news of Kelly Catlin’s passing has hit the team hard. Losing an incredible person at such a young age is very difficult,” read the statement. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and those who were fortunate enough to know her best.

After graduating with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Chinese at the University of Minnesota in 2018, Catlin began pursuing a graduate degree in Computation and Mathematical Engineering at Stanford University. She recently published a blog on Velonews.com depicting the struggles of being a professional cyclist and a full-time student.

“Being a graduate student, track cyclist, and professional road cyclist can instead feel like I need to time-travel to get everything done. And things still slip through the cracks.”

“This is probably the point when you’ll expect me to say something cliché like, “Time management is everything.” Or perhaps you’re expecting a nice, encouraging slogan like, “Being a student only makes me a better athlete!” After all, I somehow make everything work, right? Sure. Yeah, that’s somewhat accurate. But the truth is that most of the time, I don’t make everything work.”

Pedal Magazine joins the cycling community around the globe in sending condolences to Kelly Catlin’s family and friends and everyone at Rally UHC Pro Cycling Team.

Crisis Services Canada (CSC) is a collaboration of distress and crisis centres from across Canada, offering Canada’s first nationally available, regionally delivered suicide prevention service. Canada Suicide Prevention Service (CSPS) is available to anyone thinking about or affected by suicide. Call us toll-free anytime at 1.833.456.4566 or text us at 45645 between 4pm-12am ET.