Colin Strickland used to be one of the most famous names in American dirt cycling. He was a self-made outlaw who won national championships while riding his bike to work. Things changed in May 2022, though.

A professional rider named Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was killed by Strickland’s girlfriend at the time, Kaitlin Armstrong. This was one of the most famous crimes in recent sports history.

Now that he is 39 years old and lives quietly in central Texas, Strickland has stopped racing bikes and is restoring and rebuilding old cars for fun.

It goes over Colin Strickland’s early life, his amazing rise in the cycling world, his link to the Mo Wilson murder case, his testimony at the Kaitlin Armstrong trial, and where he stands now, including his appearance in the 2026 Tour de France. The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson is a Netflix program.

Quick Facts: Colin Strickland

Who Is Colin Strickland? Early Life and Background

Kevin Arturo Strickland was born in Johnson City, Texas, on November 7, 1986. He was born and raised on a farm in the Texas Hill Country. He loved being outside from a very young age.

There was no typical way for Strickland to become a professional cyclist. He didn’t start riding until he was in his mid-20s, after using a bike for years as his main mode of transportation while at the University of Texas at Austin.

After he graduated, he worked as an environmental expert and crawled through remote Texas caves near construction sites to look for endangered cave-dwelling invertebrates, also known as karst species.

It was a strange start to a career that would later make them the world champion in dirt racing. In 2010, Strickland won an Alleycat race at the North American Handmade Bike Show. This was his first competitive experience, and it started a love of competitive riding that would change his whole life.

Colin Strickland Cycling Career: From Alleycat to Unbound Glory

Red Hook Crit Dominance (2015–2016)

People all over the country first heard of Strickland as a fixed-gear criterium rider. In the highly regarded Red Hook Crit series, which is known for its fast, no-brakes urban circuits, he won the Milan event in 2015 and then took the Brooklyn, London, and Barcelona events in 2016. One of the most well-known names in fixed-gear racing, his raw power, technical skill, and reckless style made him a star.

Gravel Racing Breakthrough (2017–2019)

When Strickland switched to gravel, he won the Gravel Worlds twice, in 2017 and 2018. But his most important moment came in 2019 when he beat the lead group to win the Unbound Gravel 200, a tough 200-mile race through Emporia, Kansas’s flint hills.

Professional riders from the UCI WorldTour, including riders from big European teams, were there, which made the win even more impressive.

EF Pro Cycling offered Strickland a contract after his win, but he chose to stay a gravel-focused privateer instead. This choice turned out to be a good one financially, as he now has sponsors like Specialized, ENVE Composites, Rapha, and Red Bull.

The Rift Gravel Race in Iceland in 2019 was another win for him. This made him the best gravel privateer in the world. By 2021, Strickland had created one of the first gravel industry one-rider marketing programs that could truly run on its own. This model has since been widely copied and is now generally known as the “privateer” format.

Colin Strickland and the Murder of Moriah Wilson

How Colin Strickland Knew Moriah Wilson

In September 2021, Strickland met Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, who was also a skilled cyclist. They met at a gravel race in Idaho. He and Kaitlin Armstrong, who lives with him and works with him, were on a short break at the time.

Wilson and Strickland went on a few weeks of dates before choosing to stay friends. After Strickland and Armstrong made up, Strickland changed Wilson’s contact name in his phone to “Christine Wall” so as not to make Armstrong jealous.

Wilson and Strickland spent the day together in Austin on May 11, 2022. They went to a neighborhood swimming hole and had dinner. That night, Strickland dropped Wilson off at a friend’s apartment and texted Armstrong fake information about where Wilson was.

In the late evening, Wilson was found in that same Austin apartment, shot in the head and not aware. Soon after, she was declared dead.

Kaitlin Armstrong Arrest and Conviction

Within a few days, Armstrong was named as the main suspect. Austin Police were able to get Strickland to help them. A black Jeep with Armstrong’s license plate number and a bike rack that Strickland knew was seen on video near the scene.

For 43 days, people all over the world were looking for Armstrong. In late June 2022, she was finally caught in Costa Rica, a week after the murder.

The trial for Armstrong began in November 2023. In court, Strickland said that he was the last person who knew Wilson was still living. He said that his “on-again, off-again” connection with Armstrong was “tumultuous” in his testimony, and he confirmed that he had bought the two 9mm pistols that were found at his home.

Armstrong killed Wilson with one of them. Armstrong was found guilty of murder in the first degree and given a 90-year jail sentence.

The Aftermath: How the Murder Changed Colin Strickland’s Life

The effects on Strickland were felt right away and were very broad. Within weeks of Wilson’s death, big sponsors like Specialized, ENVE Composites, and Rapha dropped him, even though Austin Police had ruled him out as a suspect.

Red Bull was the only company that kept working with him, at least for a while. His successful privateer model, which he worked hard to build over many years, fell apart almost overnight.

Strickland told CyclingNews about the event in an honest way: “The bomb went off in my world, and I’m still recovering from the shell shock of trying to make sense of it all.” It was horrible and a waste of time in every way. I had no interest in riding right away. Always. Like my whole world was on fire, everything was on fire.

He hasn’t run in a competitive race since the Unbound Gravel in 2021, when he came in fifth. His most recent race was a simple tune-up in Texas, right before the death.

Where Is Colin Strickland Now? Life in 2026

Colin Strickland, who is 39 years old now, lives quietly in central Texas. He has changed his name and is now an antique car restorer. He works on Spartan trailers, collectible Mercedes SUVs, and old trucks with special turbo diesel engines. Colin Strickland is leaving on purpose, and not just from cycling. He is leaving behind anything that could be seen as part of his old personality.

He is also fixing up a 1915 house close to his own and helped his mother buy a house nearby. This shows that he is trying to bring order and family back into his life after years of public chaos.

In 2026, Strickland was in a Netflix documentary called The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, which looked back at Wilson’s death. It was filled with deep sorrow: “I regret everything.” I feel bad about everything I’ve done.

I never would have started racing bikes or met Kaitlin or Moriah. The video was based on an article from 2022 in Bicycling magazine and has interviews with Wilson’s friends, family, and Strickland.

Even though he doesn’t ride bikes anymore, Strickland still rides around town on a simple “townie” bicycle. This is a far cry from the $10,000 race bikes that used to make him famous.

Not many of his old riding friends are still in touch with him. He has said that the world he lives in now is “a whole different space” from the one he lived in before.

Why Colin Strickland’s Story Still Matters in 2026

Strickland’s story is about sport, identity, and morality all rolled into one. He was not the one who hurt Armstrong; in many ways, he was a secondary victim of his violence. However, the way he was involved with both women put him in a morally tense situation that the public has not easily forgotten.

His case brought up important issues about who is responsible in close relationships, how fragile an athlete’s job and brand can be, and how high-profile criminal cases affect people who are close to the crime.

Many people are interested in his story again because of the Netflix documentary, which will bring it to a whole new global audience in 2026.

People who like cycling also see Strickland as an important figure in the history of American dirt cycling, which he helped make official and marketable before it became a huge trend. His wins at Unbound, Gravel Worlds, and The Rift are important parts of the past of the sport.

Colin Strickland: Career Highlights at a Glance

• 2015 Red Hook Crit Milan (1st)
• 2016 Red Hook Crit Brooklyn, London & Barcelona (1st in all three)
• 2017 & 2018 Gravel Worlds (1st both years)
• 2019 Unbound Gravel 200, Emporia, Kansas (1st)
• 2019 The Rift Gravel Race, Iceland (1st)
• 2020 Mid-South Gravel (2nd)
• 2021 Unbound Gravel (5th) final professional race

Final Thoughts

One of the most interesting sports bios in recent years is that of Colin Strickland, who went from being a farm kid in Texas and cave-crawling environmental consultant to becoming one of the biggest names in gravel cycling and then being at the heart of a national murder trial.

His story shows that sports success can be lost in a single night and that violence has effects that go far beyond the person who is directly hurt.

Whether you followed Strickland’s racing career, the Kaitlin Armstrong trial, or the Netflix series that told his story, he is still a very interesting person.

He is rebuilding his life one vintage car at a time, away from the races that made him famous. For ongoing coverage of athletes, true crime stories tied to public figures, and in-depth biographical features, explore more on DDABlogs.