Terry Joyce is the third North Pinellas cyclist within three months to die after a cycling accident.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published November 16, 2005
Terry Joyce was a veteran cyclist who often left younger riding mates in the dust.
Experienced as he was, the 69-year-old Joyce died Monday of injuries he sustained after taking a spill last Thursday on the Pinellas Trail.
It wasn't his first tumble, but relatives and fellow cyclists were surprised by accident that took his life.
"He's been an inspiration and a leader," said his wife, Janet. "He's always advocated safety."
Joyce hit his head on the pavement when he was thrown over the handlebars of his Trek Madone 5.9 performance bike about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, 10 minutes after the Suncoast Cycling Club started a group ride.
Joyce is the third North Pinellas cyclist within three months to die after a cycling accident.
Fellow cyclist Billie Timonere said she had never seen a rider fall that way without an obvious cause - such as hitting another cyclist or an object in the road.
Mitch Scott, 47, who was riding close behind Joyce, crashed into Joyce's bike and also fell. He was treated at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs and released on Saturday.
Both cyclists were equipped with helmets and safety lights, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Timonere said three medical professionals on the ride helped resuscitate Joyce, who was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
Joyce's wife said she was grateful to her husband's medical buddies.
"They gave us all a chance to say goodbye," Janet Joyce said.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Bordner said a mechanical defect in Joyce's bike might have caused the accident. Witnesses and investigators on the scene said it appeared the fork holding the front wheel in place might have bent or snapped. Bordner said the investigation would take another week to complete.
Janet Joyce said her husband bought his cycle on the Internet from a woman in Hawaii, and took it to Chainwheel Drive bike shop in Clearwater to be assembled.
Tom Jessup, owner of Chainwheel Drive, said he has sold Trek bikes for 25 years and never heard of a structural problem like the one described by investigators.
Besides Joyce, two other North Pinellas cyclists have died in recent accidents.
On Aug. 25, Roy H. Twedt, 55, of Largo suffered fatal head and neck injuries after apparently losing control of his mountain bike as he rode downhill on the new Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater.
On Sept. 21, Clearwater businessman George Spaulding died nearly a month after an Aug. 26 accident in which he apparently fell from his bike during a ride near his family's business in Safety Harbor.
Twedt was not wearing a helmet; Spaulding was.
Joyce, who had been riding bikes since he was 3 years old, was an avid athlete and competed in triathlons. His son, Gray, said his father got his "trademark nose" at 15 when he was hit by a car while cycling.
Three times a week, he rode 50 miles with the Suncoast Cycling Club. Joyce wasn't the oldest cyclist in the club, which has hundreds of members, but Timonere said he was the oldest in the club's fastest group of riders.
"He was so strong. He was so fast. If we had a sprint, he'd go out there and be at the front of the sprints," said another member, Mike Nissley.
Joyce, who placed ninth in the Florida Senior Games 20-kilometer race in December, qualified to represent Florida in the Senior Olympics four years ago but was unable to participate because he broke his hip while training for the competition.
Joyce's family said he had been unhappy with the performance of his new bicycle, the same model that Lance Armstrong rode in the 2003 Tour de France.
Joyce had owned another Trek for about a decade and had no problems with it, said his son.
Joyce, a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the British Army and a racing mechanic in England, moved his family to Clearwater from Coventry, England, in 1962. They returned to England for a short stint, but decided to settle in Dunedin in 1965.
"We liked Dunedin because there were bends in the road, just like England," his wife said.
Janet Joyce said her husband thought his life in England was ordinary, and came to America for adventure.
Joyce raced cars in America and earned several amateur trophies with the Sports Car Club of America.
His love of fast machines extended to his jobs as well. He worked in the American automobile business for about 35 years, starting at Clearwater Motorcars as a mechanic and working his way up to sales manager. Joyce also worked for a short while at Triumph Motorcars in Atlanta, but returned to work for Clearwater Motorcars, which was later purchased by Larry Dimmitt. Joyce was also a salesman for Truman Sims Car Care Center in Clearwater.
Joyce loved working with his hands. After the family's home burned down in 1985, Joyce and two friends rebuilt the two-story dream home.
Joyce left a number of projects undone. He was helping his son build a house next door to his own, and maintained a list of 18 household projects taped to the kitchen cupboard. Eight of the items were already crossed off.
"He accomplished a lot," his wife said. "He had his next 12 months planned."
In addition to his wife and son, Joyce leaves behind two daughters, Jacky Keogh of Atlanta and Lynn Vonderau of Dunedin, and four grandchildren.
The family plans a memorial service at their Dunedin home at 2 p.m. Saturday.
On Sunday, members of Joyce's cycling club and other local riders will ride on the Pinellas Trail in his honor. The group will meet at 8 a.m. near Publix on Curlew Road and Alt. 19, riding past Joyce's home and the site of the accident as they follow the trail to Pasco County.
Times staff writer Richard Danielson contributed to this report. Lorri Helfand can be reached at 727 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com
