Bicyclist was wearing headphones, couldn't hear train

Gerardo Turrubiartes was apparently listening to an iPod with headphones while biking Sunday just west of Burlington, police said Monday.

The music drowned out the sounds of a rapidly approaching freight train that instantly killed the 42-year-old St. Charles resident, said Lt. Pat Gengler, a spokesman for the Kane County sheriff's department.

Police say Turrubiartes was heading north in a rural area on Engel Road, crossing Canadian National Railroad tracks near Plank Road at 5:35 p.m.

Officials believe Turrubiartes biked the 11-mile ride from St. Charles to the area just west of Burlington, said Kane County Coroner Chuck West.

There were no warning lights or gates at the railroad crossing, just a wooden sign that marks the tracks.

Officials say Turrubiartes had a wife and small children, but didn't have any more details.

He also will be missed among fellow cyclists, said Doug Bauer, a freelance bike mechanic who knew Turrubiartes for six years.

The St. Charles man was active in the cycling community and as of 2005 belonged to North Branch Cycling, a nonprofit organization that promotes bicycle racing in Illinois and the Midwest, according to the group's Web site.

Bauer, who sometimes works at Main Street Bicycles in Carpentersville, says Turrubiartes was well-known among area cyclists.

He rode in many local races, including what used to be the called the Four Bridges Race in Elgin, and trained on his bike twice a week, Bauer said, describing him as a cycling "enthusiast."

"I know he was a passionate cyclist and competitive," Bauer said Monday, noting that Turrubiartes liked the sport's camaraderie and sought to have the best equipment.

Bauer said he saw Turrubiartes out on his bike Sunday, hours before a freight train ended his life.

The two men waved at each other before going their separate ways.

"Everyone waves when you see another cyclist," Bauer said.