A University of Georgia graduate researcher was killed and two other bicyclists were injured Monday evening in east Athens by a suspected impaired driver.

Ashley Block, 25, who was a graduate student in Integrative Conservation and Anthropology at UGA, was killed during the Monday night group ride organized by The Hub Bicycles on South Milledge Avenue. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The Hub Bicycle's owner, Brian Molloy, was one of the injured cyclists. Molloy was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and released, according to Athens-Clarke County police.

The third cyclist, Mitchell Enfinger, a member of The Hub Bicycle's mountain biking team, was reported to be in serious condition at Athens Regional Medical Center.

The tragedy has shaken and also angered members of the sizable Athens-area cycling community.

"I would say this is infuriating and is happening too much," said David Crowe, an Athens attorney and advocate for cyclist safety. "We have a tight knit cycling community in Athens and on the group rides I do we are always obeying the rules of the road and trying to be good stewards."

Block and her fellow cyclists were "doing everything right" when tragedy struck them, said Sgt. Von Anderson, a supervisor with the Athens-Clarke County police Traffic Unit. According to Anderson, the cyclists were riding single file along the fog line on Athena Drive when an SUV traveling in the opposite direction crossed completely over the road and struck all three cyclists.

The vehicle's driver, 31-year-old Whitney Baker Howard, admitted she was looking at her cellphone at the time, Anderson said. The Madison County woman also exhibited signs that she was impaired, and during questioning made statements indicating drug usage, the officer said.

A toddler-age child was said by police to have been in the SUV.

Howard was charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of drugs, endangering a child by driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane and improper use of a mobile phone while driving.

Crowe, who is locally highly-regarded as a criminal defense attorney, expressed hopes Howard is harshly punished if convicted.

However, he said, "No amount of prison time can bring back the life of this very sweet young lady."

A native of Minnesota, Block was an academic who was said to also have been a triathlete.

Follow Criminal Justice reporter Joe Johnson at www.facebook.com/JoeJohnsonABH or www.twitter.com/JoeJohnsonABH.