'We are profoundly shocked' - two collegiate cyclists killed by driver; seven more injured

A ghost bike marks a spot where a cyclist was killed — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Two members of the Milligan University collegiate cycling team were killed while on a training ride in Hampton, Tennessee, on the morning of 19 August.

Eleven of the team's riders were out on a morning training ride when a car driver struck them. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Highway 19E, just east of Johnson City.

In a video message to the public, Milligan University president Stephen Waers shared that Sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed; seven other students were injured and taken to hospital. Four remained in critical condition.

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The investigation is ongoing, but it's been reported that the driver, John Benfield, 69, of North Carolina, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle.

Milligan's collegiate cycling team won the men’s team time trial national championship at the U.S.A. Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, this past May.

"We are profoundly shocked and saddened to share that members of our cycling team were in an accident involving a vehicle this morning while cycling in Hampton, TN," the University said in a statement.

"There are no words to adequately describe this level of loss. Our prayers are with all those impacted by this tragedy. Please keep the Milligan community in your prayers."

Milligan University alumnus and multi-time national champion, Ama Nsek, took to Instagram to express his sadness and frustration.

"When's it going to end?" he asked in a tearful message. "Two cyclists killed. Two kids killed, and five in the hospital. It's so sad that we live in a world where we can't just ride our bikes in peace. I've seen so many cyclists get killed or heavily injured by negligent drivers, and it's just really sad. It's really frustrating."

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.