“John kind of took us all under his wing. He was very much a mentor to Arizona cyclists,” stated an emotional Alan Fischer. He met John Clayton Timbers in 1971 and got to witness him establish the iconic La Vuelta de Bisbee Race in 1976. Unfortunately, John lost his life on Tuesday in a hit-and-run case. According to the reports, the cycling legend met with an accident on East Grand Road in Tucson, Arizona. However, the details of the accident are not concrete and the investigation is still going on.

According to the police reports, the two-time winner of the The Iron Horse Classic met with an accident at 5.00 am. The driver of the car, believed to be a red 2000s Tuscon, fled from the scene before getting caught. The cycling world lost one of its legends in a bizarre incident.

John Clayton Timbers- A Legend and a Visionary

Timbers won many medals during his professional career. However, after retiring from the sport, he decided to give back to the community. He started LaVuelta de Bisbee in 1976, one of the most iconic stage races in Arizona. The race attracted cyclists from different parts of the world. It also encouraged the next generation of cyclists to take up cycling as a career. John also shared his own experiences and helped the local cyclists to improve their skill.

Cyclingmagazine, shared some of the posts from an AZ Cycling Facebook group regarding the whole incident.

“We’re sad to share that John Timbers was killed this morning while riding, by a hit-and-run driver near Grant and Craycoft. John founded the Vuelta de Bisbee, one of the iconic stage races in Arizona- in 1976,” the post read. “As a racer, John won everything from the Iron Horse Classic in Durango to the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix Crit.”

“He was the sole finisher of the Tour of Mexico on the U.S. national team one year. He was still climbing Lemmon several times a week—where he took many victories in the Mt. Lemmon Hill Climb,” added the Arizona Cycling community.

The post ended by stating that instead of a public funeral, the community is planning a memorial to be held on John’s next birthday. After all, the family could surely use some privacy and peace to deal with the loss of the 78-year-old.

In the meantime, the reason for the crash is still under investigation. Local police have urged citizens to step forward and help in this matter. A lack of CCTV footage is hampering the investigation as well. Whatever be the reason for the accident, the cycling world lost one of its gems.

A Huge Loss for the Cycling Community

John was one of those professionals who had the vision as well. During his professional cycling days, he won many medals. As a result, he was well qualified to organize races as well.

A kind-hearted man with a very good nature, John devoted his life to cycling. The post touched on his intangible impact to the local biking community. “He mentored others on the bike regarding skills, tactics and training and off the bike in life lessons.”

Timbers’ untimely death is a massive loss for the cycling community.Hopefully the police can investigate the matter and find the culprit. Also the local people should step up and help the authorities in the investigation.

The family members will also find it tough to recover from this massive loss. Let us know about your thoughts about the legend in the comments below.

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