Monday, May 09, 2011

Wouter Weylandt, 1984-2011

26 year old Wouter Weylandt, a Belgian rider on Team Leopard-Trek, passed away today in a tragic accident on the descent of the Bocco in the third stage of the Giro d'Italia, just 25 kilometers from the finish. Weylandt was a talented sprinter with an already-strong palmares and a very fine future ahead of him. He won his first Grand Tour stage at the Vuelta a Espana in 2008, and his second at the 2010 Giro on Stage 3. Wouter leaves his girlfriend Sophie, who is pregnant with their first child.

Here he is in happier times on his bicycle, winning at the Giro last year:

Deepest condolences to his family, friends, team, and the whole peloton on their terrible loss.

3 comments:

Tusher said...

Thank you for posting this, racejunkie. A terrible day for all who love pro cycling. Our hearts go out to his girlfriend Sophie and their unborn child.

Rest in peace Wouter.

Rosemary said...

Nice words from Tyler Farrar:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/farrar-remembers-weylandt-as-a-brother

Anonymous said...

Regarding the quoted statements in cylcingnews:

Tyler = class
Johan = ass