'An incredible human’: Noted cyclist, FSU doctoral student dies after hit-and-run
National cycling champion Jake Boykin was preparing to race at Six Gap Century’s 100-mile course through the North Georgia mountains with his cycling team Sunday, but then tragedy struck after a hit-and-run that friends are calling "heartbreaking and senseless."
Twenty-five-year-old Boykin was killed after being hit by the driver of a pickup truck Friday evening while he was riding his bicycle on Wacissa Springs Road in Jefferson County.
Boykin — who was also a doctoral student at Florida State University studying muscle physiology — was flown to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare with life-threatening injuries following the crash, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
But he succumbed to the injuries Saturday morning.
“He was just an incredible human being,” said FSU School of Communication Assistant Director Jason Khan-Hohensee, 37, a close friend and fellow cyclist. “I always felt like I was trying to take on a big brother role for him, but I don’t know how far I got. I feel like I always learned a lot more from Jake instead of it being the other way around.”
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The driver of the pickup truck, who was traveling south on Wacissa Springs Road, left the scene Friday and was located a short time later with Boykin’s bike impaled into the front grill area, according to the FHP report.
The report also states that Boykin was wearing a helmet during the incident.
The driver of the vehicle — a 60-year-old man from Tallahassee — was transported to TMH by EMS for "unrelated injuries" to the crash. Although many say the accident involved a drunk driver, FHP has not yet provided confirmation as the crash is still being investigated by the Traffic Homicide division, said FHP spokesperson Patricia Shaw.
Khan-Hohensee says he and a few cyclist friends were waiting for Boykin — who trained hard for the Six Gap Century cycling race — in a rented cabin in Georgia since they all planned on staying there together ahead of the Sunday event.
He reached out to Boykin on the day of the crash but did not get ahold of him, assuming that he was on his way to the cabin before hearing about the tragedy.
“It was all a shock,” Khan-Hohensee said. “We didn’t believe it could possibly be true, especially when you’ve got someone like Jake who’s so young and seems so invincible.”
Before attending FSU, Boykin earned his master's degree in kinesiology from Texas Tech University in 2022, received a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College — where he played on the college’s football team — and graduated from Centennial High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he also played football.
Representing the FSU Cycling Team, Boykin won the 2023 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championship in a competition that was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earlier this year. He also finished in fourth place in the Overall Men’s Open at the event.
“He was the type of person who understood how to make people feel special, important and loved,” Khan-Hohensee said. “He always took a back seat and never made anything about himself, even if he certainly could have, since he was the best cyclist that this city has ever seen.”
Gabrielle Gabrielli, executive director of the Tallahassee-based nonprofit organization Life Worth Leading, met Boykin through cycling as they would ride through the same routes. She says a lot of people cycle in Jefferson County since its roads do not have as much traffic compared to others.
“Jake was incredibly positive,” said Gabrielli, a 2003 FSU alumna. “Very smart, kind, energetic and down-to-earth. He had such a bright future ahead of him, and he should be alive today. This is just such a tragedy for the community and for everybody who loved Jake.”
The Friday accident is the eighth cyclist or pedestrian related accident in the Big Bend since the end of July, and it is the sixth to result in a death.
A memorial will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Daniel B. Chaires Park and Community Center in Tallahassee to honor Boykin, followed by a casual community bike ride and a celebration of life cookout.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Cyclist Jake Boykin dies after hit-and-run in Jefferson County
