Colin Strickland was one of the biggest names in gravel racing, but his life changed forever when his friend and fellow cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson was brutally murdered in 2022. Not only did he lose a close friend, but his then-girlfriend, Kaitlin Armstrong, was the killer.
A new Netflix documentary, The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, inspired by a 2022 feature story in Bicycling magazine, revisits Wilson’s murder and the events leading up to it, featuring interviews with Strickland and other friends and family members.
Here’s what we know about Colin Strickland and what his life is like now.
Who Is Colin Strickland?
Colin Strickland was born on November 7, 1986, and grew up in Johnston, Texas. A lifelong cycling enthusiast, Strickland went from casual cyclist to prominent record-breaker in just a few years.
The University of Texas-Austin graduate was a frequent bike commuter, but he didn’t begin racing competitively until 2011. At the time, he was working as an environmental scientist at a consulting firm.
Strickland first gained notoriety as a fixed gear racer, earning multiple wins in the Red Hook Criterion series in 2015 and 2016. He later found success in gravel racing, winning the Unbound Gravel 200 in 2019.
Though his career slowed down a bit amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it promptly came to a screeching halt when his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Armstrong, fatally shot rising cycling star Wilson in May 2022.
How Did Colin Strickland Meet Mo Wilson?
Strickland met Wilson at a gravel race in Idaho in September 2021 while he was on a break with Armstrong. He and Wilson briefly dated, but ultimately decided they were better as friends. Soon after, Strickland got back together with Armstrong.
Throughout their relationship, however, Armstrong was jealous of his friendship with Wilson. She constantly went through his phone, prompting Strickland to change Wilson’s contact name.
The following year, Wilson traveled to Austin, Texas, for a race, and visited him while she was there. On May 11, 2022, they went swimming and grabbed dinner together, after which Strickland drove Wilson back to her friend Caitlin Cash’s house. But later that night, Cash came home to find Wilson dead in her bathroom.
Was Colin Strickland a Suspect in Mo Wilson’s Murder?
Authorities were able to immediately rule out Strickland from having any involvement in the murder, but soon named Armstrong as the main suspect. Security footage revealed her car was outside Cash’s house the night of the murder. Another key piece of evidence was the murder weapon. Armstrong’s gun, which was purchased for her by Strickland, matched the bullet casings found near Wilson’s body.
A week after the murder, Armstrong fled the country, igniting a 43-day manhunt that ended when she was arrested in Costa Rica in late June. Their relationship now officially over, Strickland testified against her during her trial, and in November 2023, Armstrong was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Where Is Colin Strickland Today?
Following Wilson’s tragic murder, Strickland lost all of his sponsors, save for Red Bull, and soon gave up cycling altogether. “Every aspect of it was just horrific and wasteful. I immediately had no interest in cycling,” he later told Cyclingnews in June 2025. “Everything was burning, like my whole world was on fire.”
Today, Strickland still resides in Texas, where he now restores vintage cars and Spartan trailers for a living. While he still rides his bike around town, he has not raced since 2021.
Nearly four years after Armstrong killed Wilson, Strickland, now 39, is “still recovering from the shell shock” of the murder. “I have not made sense of it yet, and I'm not sure I ever will,” he said. “It brings me so much heartbreak.”
How to Watch The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson on Netflix
Strickland is featured in the new documentary The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, which explores Wilson’s life and grisly murder. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the film is now streaming on Netflix.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
