Three: What Happened Between Them
Back in June 2019, when Strickland beat a bunch of Tour de France execs at Unbound and immediately grew to become one of the vital distinguished athletes within the biking world, I used to be stoked. I’d watched him come of age as a racer within the Austin biking scene. We’d chatted on lengthy rides and butted heads in native races—then shared beers afterward. A few occasions, Strickland sought my recommendation on some professional biking dilemma he was going through. I’d give him my sincere opinion, then he’d do the other and completely make it work. I revered the hell out of him for that.
Whether Strickland was successful or struggling, I’d typically ship him a textual content or Instagram message of help—saying, basically, “maintain going.” When he gained Unbound, I used to be working for FloSports, an organization that live-streams skilled biking. We produced lots of content material with him. He gave us a tour of his gearhead storage and confirmed me methods to restore biking garments on his classic stitching machine. A brief movie I made chronicled Strickland’s rise from renegade alleycat racer to the world’s finest gravel bike owner, a rider gifted sufficient on a street bike that he was briefly recruited by an American Tour de France workforce.
Until I started reporting this story, I didn’t know loads about Strickland’s private life. But typically native gossip about who’s relationship who would contain him. He didn’t sound like somebody who chased drama. It was extra like he lacked a sure type of emotional intelligence when it got here to relationships. Things that appeared apparent to everybody else didn’t appear to happen to him.
I don’t assume Strickland headed out on his bike on May 11 with the intention of choosing up Wilson for a romantic liaison. When he invited her to go swimming, he didn’t think about that lots of people (together with me) may view this choice as inappropriate. Especially in the event you’re in a dedicated relationship and your associate doesn’t know what you’re as much as. But Colin views the world otherwise, and more often than not that’s labored out for him. He provides pals rides on the again of his BMW on a regular basis, female and male, what’s the massive deal?
He knew that he and Wilson had been simply pals at that time, and he had no intention of dishonest on Armstrong. But he additionally ought to have recognized that mendacity to Armstrong about connecting with Wilson was a horrible thought. If you end up hiding one thing out of your associate, you most likely shouldn’t be doing it in any respect.
In 2019, again earlier than Strickland had met Armstrong, he typically frightened {that a} deep emotional attachment might be counterproductive to his biking ambitions. But, that 12 months, following his most profitable racing season but, he felt a renewed urgency to fulfill any person he may get critical about. He downloaded the relationship app Hinge, which touts itself because the anti-Tinder, geared towards singles searching for actual connection as an alternative of informal hookups. In October 2019, he discovered Armstrong.
They met for a glass of wine on the Meteor on South Congress, then went for a stroll alongside the boardwalk beside Lady Bird Lake, with the Austin skyline glowing on the water. Though Strickland noticed Armstrong as candy and clever, and positively thought she was engaging, he didn’t sense a right away romantic connection.
Superficially, they appeared fairly totally different. She didn’t share his eclectic pursuits in music and artwork. He purchased high quality items and repaired his personal clothes; she didn’t thoughts buying at low-cost chain shops. He grew up on an natural farm and thought deeply about meals; she didn’t actually cook dinner. He went to a hippie-style Waldorf faculty; she grew up in Livonia, a middle-class suburb of Detroit.
During the primary few months they dated, Strickland thought-about breaking it off earlier than issues received too far alongside. But Armstrong’s kindness, endurance, and positivity saved him from slicing ties.
Then the pandemic hit. Races had been canceled. Travel stopped. Strickland and Armstrong spent extra time collectively and grew as a pair. He launched her to biking, and she or he developed a ardour for the game. Soon she was sturdy sufficient to draft him on his lengthy coaching rides. She additionally supported him nevertheless she may. During the pandemic, for instance, Armstrong spent 5 days on the telephone serving to Strickland’s mom entry unemployment advantages. This made him notice that an individual’s coronary heart was extra essential than the music they listened to.
In February 2021, an ice storm struck Texas; the pipes in Armstrong’s condominium burst, making the place uninhabitable. Armstrong stayed with Strickland whereas repairs had been made. When she requested about dwelling collectively full-time, although, he was hesitant. For half of yearly, his mother lived with him in his four-bedroom dwelling. More essential, he frightened in regards to the emotional dependency that dwelling with Armstrong may create for each of them.
Around the identical time, as Armstrong was working to get her actual property license, she started investing in property. Strickland and Armstrong purchased a home collectively in Lockhart, a small city simply south of Austin, and Armstrong purchased two houses in South Austin, together with one in Strickland’s neighborhood. They spent hours planning fashionable renovations to that home, together with a customized metal fence Armstrong had put in. Her aim was to maneuver into the place as soon as the renovations had been performed, in six months or so. But greater than a 12 months after Kaitlin had moved in with Strickland, they had been nonetheless dwelling collectively.
They’d additionally fashioned a enterprise, Wheelhouse Mobile, that concerned restoring and promoting personalized Spartan trailers. Armstrong grew to become an agent for Sotheby’s, the place they might promote the trailers for as a lot as $350,000 every. Seemingly with out fascinated about it a lot, virtually each aspect of their lives grew to become intertwined. She managed Wheelhouse Mobile and far of his racing funds, and she or he had entry to most of his telephone and laptop passwords.
People appreciated Strickland and Armstrong, however lots of their mutual pals instructed me that their relationship appeared messy. Some of Strickland’s pals thought Armstrong had turn out to be too hooked up to his public persona.
One instance occurred previous to a bunch trip in Austin. Strickland’s clothes sponsor, Rapha, had made him an unique biking package, with all his sponsorship logos. He’d ordered one for Armstrong, too, as a present, however requested her to not put on it at public occasions. He thought that might be improper, that his sponsors won’t prefer it. The morning of the trip, when Armstrong got here out dressed within the package, Strickland requested her to alter. Stung, Armstrong determined to skip the trip solely.
On Armstrong’s facet of the ledger, pals of each her and Strickland had witnessed him converse rudely to her, to a level that compelled them to name him on it. One of his bike business pals, Andy Chasteen, talked about this with me, though considerably reluctantly.
“I hate to talk badly about anybody,” he stated. But Strickland might be “extraordinarily condescending to individuals who he is aware of and he’s near.” Chasteen had seen it occur with one in all Strickland’s male teammates, too, and even together with his personal mother—most likely the individual he’s closest to on the planet.
Chris Tolley, a buddy of mine who knew each Strickland and Armstrong effectively, shared his principle about why she put up together with his impolite conduct. Tolley instructed me that each he and Armstrong grew up in houses with an alcoholic mum or dad.
“When you’re raised like that,” he stated, “your vanity is tremendous low” and you may be rather more forgiving of rocky relationships. Tolley was effectively conscious that Strickland may appear chilly, typically referring to Armstrong as his “buddy” reasonably than his girlfriend. Close acquaintances would say one thing like: Look, in the event you’re not into her, let her go. You guys are in your mid-thirties, and she or he’s able to cool down. It’s too late to screw round like this. When Strickland and Armstrong got here again from Bentonville within the fall of 2021 and broke up, it appeared probably that each of them would transfer on.
Then, in late October, a number of days after he’d ended issues with Armstrong, Strickland received a message from Wilson. She was coming to Austin to hang around with pals for every week and work remotely. Did he wish to get collectively?
