North Texas woke up to the worst kind of cycling news Saturday. Two riders were killed during a group ride after being struck by a vehicle on FM 455 east of Fritcher Road near Pilot Point. The crash happened just after 8:15 a.m., the quiet hour when most of us assume drivers are still on their first cup of coffee.
The riders were later identified as Andre Kocher and Scott Mages, both members of the Frisco Triathlon Club. One was transported to Methodist Celina, the other airlifted to Medical City Plano. Neither made it home. That sentence never gets easier to write.
If you ride north of Frisco, you know FM 455. Long stretches, open sightlines, fast traffic that forgets bikes exist the second the shoulder narrows. Group rides roll through there all the time because the roads look calm until they’re not.
The Frisco Triathlon Club put it plainly. Andre and Scott weren’t just names on a roster. They were mentors, training partners, the guys who show up early and stay late. That’s the real loss here, the empty wheel in the rotation that never fills back in.
There’s an ongoing investigation, and details will come. What we already know is enough. Two more chairs empty at post-ride coffee. Two more families wrecked because someone in a car didn’t see or didn’t care.
The club is hosting a Santa Fun Run on Dec. 24 in Frisco to honor them. If you’re local, show up. If you’re riding this week, hug the white line a little tighter and don’t assume anyone sees you.
We’ll be watching. And remembering.
