Cyclist Wouter Weylandt dies in fall at Giro d'Italia

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Sports Illustrated, Associated Press

RAPALLO, Italy (AP) Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died Monday after a high-speed downhill crash at the Giro d'Italia, the first rider to be killed in a major cycling race in 16 years.

Maria Paola Vercesi, a spokeswoman for race organizer RCS Sport, confirmed the death of the 26-year-old Weylandt to The Associated Press.

Weylandt fell during a descent 12.4 miles from the finish in northern Italy and lay motionless and bleeding heavily on the roadside before paramedics removed his helmet and tried to resuscitate him.

"We arrived immediately as we were behind his group," Giro doctor Giovanni Tredici said. "He was unconscious with a fracture of the skull base and facial damage. After 40 minutes of cardiac massage we had to suspend the resuscitation because there was nothing more we could do.(")

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/05/09/wouter.weylandt.dies.giro.ap/

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The Giro is being televised in the US on the Universal Sports network, which is seen on channel 4.3 in the DC area. I haven't been watching it yet this year. I remember the commentary during last year's race that the course is known not so much for the difficulty of its ascents, but the difficulty of its descents.

The cyclists have to be absolutely fearless to go down those hills as fast as they do. A helmet's not going to do much good at those speeds.

[frylock]

1. just awful

[Blue Owl]

2. RIP

Tragic news, a pall will be cast over the Giro no doubt.

[wtmusic]

3. RIP Wouter.

Very sad.

[Dappleganger]

4. So sad.

I always enjoyed watching whatever races we could get and whenever there's an accident it's a very emotional event for everyone. :(

[wtmusic]

5. Velonews retweeting reactions from teammates, coaches

http://velonews.competitor.com/

[Aerows]

6. Very sad

On some of those descents, cyclists have hit 72mph. That's fast in a car, on a bicycle, that's got to be terrifying.

[alfredo]

18. It is. You only have a thumbprint of rubber on the road.

After a long fast descent your whole body is quaking from the adrenaline. Another danger is a fast descent after a horrific climb. Sometimes by the time you reach the summit, everything is pastel, you are semi conscious. If you are lucky, you regain your facilities by the time you hit the first turn.

Sometimes I still wince over some narrow escape on a mountain descent.

[hlthe2b]

7. Tragic... but amazing to me that it has not happened more often...

Those riders really are fearless. RIP to a tremendous athlete

[barbtries]

8. ...

shudder. poor guy.

[virgogal]

9. So sad,and only 26.

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. I shudder...

...whenever I hear the phrase 'highly technical descent'....

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. Me too, and I don't even know what it means.

Highly technical? 32 ft per second per second - free-fall acceleration due to gravity.

Just watching the stuff on tv, it looks like crazies riding too fast and too close to each other. Yikes.

[wtmusic]

12. Think of an Olympic slalom skiing run

with 140 skiers on the hill, and you won't be too far off the mark. Except it hurts more when you fall.

[PJPhreak]

13. "He was unconscious with a fracture of the skull base and facial damage."

There needs to be some sort of Haans Device developed for competitive Cyclists.

"Face Plant" Crashes may be the brunt of Mt.Bike jokes and silly videos but a Basel Skull Fracture is one of the more common injuries from crashing like this.

They mandate Haans Devices in almost all forms of Motorsport and is also one of the reasons there are airbags in most cars now days,to prevent just this injury in the case of head on crashes.

[wtmusic]

14. Hans devices won't happen in pro cycling for a few reasons

weight and visibility issues foremost. Pro cyclists actually went on strike in 1991 to protest having to wear a regular helmet (they've only been required since 2003).

This kind of thing is unusual for a rider traveling at speed by himself. I would tend to think there was some kind of obstruction in the road, or mechanical failure.

[PJPhreak]

15. Nascar Drivers were just as resistant to restraint systems until...

the death of Dale Earnhardt,And they all used the same lame arguments.

As do the majority of Motorcycle riders here,Kansas is the ONLY state to have had a voter referendum REPEALING Helmet Laws! Go Figure.

I am an avid Cyclist and agree with the visibility issues,if you can't turn your head anywhere you need to you won't always see a potential problem...Still I think this is one area that the Bicycle Community ( Riders,Both Dirt and Road) Equipment Makers,and groups like NORBA should try to get together and try to develop a solution.

And Yes,I realize this is probly more of a problem for XC,AM and DH Riders than anyone else.

[wtmusic]

22. Ironically, he was looking over his shoulder when he hit a wall.

"In stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia, Weylandt crashed descending the Passo del Bocco, near the town of Mezzanego, suffering catastrophic injury. While he was looking over his shoulder at other riders, the left side of his bike struck a wall, sending him across the road where he then hit another object at high speed."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wouter_Weylandt

[PJPhreak]

16. Dupe.

[Vehl]

17. RIP nt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

19. "The Giro is being televised in the US on the Universal Sports network."

Last night, they showed Stage 3 from the 2010 Giro, which was held in the Netherlands, of all places. It was won by Wouter Weylandt.

[AngryAmish]

20. Was his number 3?

[ileus]

21. Sad day for road racing that's for sure.