All eyes in the cycling world were on this year’s Giro d’Italia, as always, but the Giro was sadly marred by the untimely passing of Team Leopard Trek cyclist, Wouter Weylandt.
On May 9, Weylandt clipped a wall and crashed into the road while descending the Passo del Bocco in Stage 3 of the Giro. Racing at around 70kph, Weylandt was thrown across the road and killed instantly from internal injuries. Despite the best efforts of the Giro doctors and a helicopter medical team, Weylandt was unable to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead around an hour later.
That night Team Leopard Trek released a short statement on their website, offering their condolences to Weylandt’s friends and family. 26-year-old Weylandt leaves behind his girlfriend, Sophie, who is pregnant with their first child.The following day of the Giro was turned into a tribute ride, with no points or times being awarded towards the overall rankings. Instead the teams took it in turns to lead the stage, along with Team Leopard Trek and Garmin-Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar, Weylandt’s friend and training partner. Church bells along the route tolled in mourning, and spectators held up replicas of Weylandt’s race number, 108, which has now been retired from use in the Giro. Leopard Trek and Farrar, arms linked, were allowed to cross the line first, and Farrar announced that evening that he would be leaving the Giro that night, followed by a similar announcement from the riders of Leopard Trek the following day. The team lined up for the Tour of Calfornia a few days later, saying they would be riding with Wouter as their inspiration.
Photographs courtesy of Team Leopard Trek at www.leopardtrek.lu
