Sports physiologist Ed Burke died Thursday of an apparent heart attack while on a bike ride near his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The 53-year-old Burke was on a group ride and collapsed at the side of the road. He could not revived by friends or emergency medical personnel who appeared at the scene.

Burke earned a doctorate in exercise physiology from Ohio State in 1979 and quickly joined the staff of the United States Cycling Federation, serving as an Olympic team staff member in 1980 and 1984. Burke built a strong reputation for making cutting-edge research in his field accessible to a general audience and wrote extensively for cycling publications, including Winning, Bicycling and VeloNews.

Burke also authored and edited several books on the scientific aspects of cycling and served as the editor of Cycling Science. He is survived by his wife Kathleen.