Jacquelyn Crowell got one of her wishes.
She made it to 30 years old before succumbing to cancer.
The former professional cyclist who lived in Kirkwood and taught competitive riding to young hopefuls at Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2014: "I would love to turn 30. It would be a blessing to turn 30."
Crowell died Wednesday, a few months older than the age she hoped to make. USA Cycling tweeted out its condolences Wednesday.
Jackie, as she was called, was a Florida girl whose parents encouraged her early to cycle. She attended the University of Florida and rode competitively for the university, taking a year off to race on the pro circuit.
In 2011, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She then turned her full attention to cycling, joining Exergy Twenty16, a squad of professional female racers. She was an “all-arounder;” the baseball equivalent is utility fielder, someone capable of playing many positions.
Read more about her story here.
She got a glimpse of true glory when two of her teammates made the squad that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The next year, the UnitedHealthCare Pro Women’s Cycling Team picked her up. With thoughts of competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she began to notice tingling in her right side, which was eventually diagnosed as symptoms of a growing brain tumor in 2013.
After surgery, the chemotherapy started, and the competitor fought back, ultimately surpassing her personal goal.
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