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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

List Of Racing Cyclists And Pacemakers With A Cycling-related Death


The first documented deaths of competitive cyclists during competition or training date to the 1890s and early 1900s when the recently-invented safety bicycle made cycling more popular, both as a sport and as a mode of transport. The athletes listed here were either professional cyclists, professional pacemakers or well-known competitive amateurs who had a cycling-related death, mostly during a race or during training. Pacemakers are motorcyclists utilized in motor-paced racing, riding motorcycles in front of their cycling teammates to provide additional speed to those cyclists via the resulting slipstream.

Safety has been a concern since cycling's early days. By 1929, at least 47 people had died while racing at velodromes – 33 cyclists and 14 pacemakers. Motor-paced cycling still exists in the modern era as keirin racing and derny racing. A number of professionals and competitive amateurs have been killed in crashes with motorized vehicles while training on public roads plus there is a growing number of cyclists who have died of heart attacks while cycling in a race or while training. Some of these deaths affect cycle racing afterwards – the death of Andrey Kivilev in a crash during the 2003 Paris–Nice race caused the Union Cycliste Internationale to institute a mandatory helmet rule.

The dangers of the various sporting forms of cycling continue to be an issue, including training on public roadways. A survey of 2008 Olympics teams, however, indicated that cycling was not even in the top six most injury-prone sports during competition that year. Racing cyclists who have died during a race or during training are remembered by cycling aficionados and the cycling press. Their personal effects are exhibited in museums, their cemetery markers and tombstones are visited by fans, and as one commentator wrote: "Plaques, statues and shrines to cycling's fallen heroes are scattered all over Europe's mountain roads, turning any ride into a pilgrimage."

Cyclists who died during a race or because of a crash that happened during a race

Cyclists who died during a race
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Pierre Froget
Track cyclist August 21, 1894  France Crashed at the Velodrome in Vichy while tandem racing as a track cyclist. Died six days later at the age of 21, was the first death in a cycling crash on a French track.
Bert Harris
Track cyclist (professional) April 21, 1897  United Kingdom While participating in a race at Aston on Easter Monday of 1897 Harris' cycle touched another rider and he was upset head-first onto the track's surface. Harris died a few days later, never having regained consciousness. Tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Leicester for his funeral procession.
Muller
Pacemaker 1899  German Empire Due to a fall during a competition on the winter track in Hamburg, Muller died directly at the scene. Kocher, the cyclist of the pacemaker, decided to quit cycling.
Harry Miles
William Stafford
Pacemakers May 31, 1900  United States During a race at the Waltham, Massachusetts track, four tandem-motorcycles crash. Pacemakers Miles and Stafford, both 25 years old, are killed in the crash.
Oscar Aaronson
Track cyclist December 22, 1900  Sweden Injured during December 16, 1900 competitors' crash at the New York City/Madison Square Garden Six-Day Race. Died on the 22nd from aftereffects of the crash, from exhaustion and pneumonia.
Johnny Nelson
Track cyclist September 6, 1901  USA Nelson was a professional cyclist originally from Chicago. On September 4, 1901 he was in a 15-mile match race with Jimmy Michael at Madison Square Garden. Two miles into the race a tire on Nelson's pacemaker's vehicle exploded. Nelson then collided with the vehicles of both his pacemaker and Michael's pacemaker. Nelson's leg was badly lacerated in the crash and he suffered a massive blood loss. He died two days later in Bellevue Hospital.
Charles Kerff
Road cyclist May 18, 1902  Belgium Kerff crashed during the French cycling classic Marseille–Paris in which his brother Marcel also participated. The cause was unknown but Kerff had no visible injuries and was unconscious immediately after the crash. He was taken to the hospital in Aix-en-Provence but was dead on arrival.
Harry Elkes A man on his bicycle headed towards the camera Track cyclist May 30, 1903  United States Died in a crash at Charles River Track in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Held the world record for "paced-cycle racing" during most of his career and just prior to his fatal crash had achieved a new 5 Miles World Record (going that distance in 6 minutes, 12 1/5 seconds) as well as achieving world's records for 10 and 15 miles. Major Taylor in his autobiography called Elkes "one of the greatest middle-distance riders that ever pedalled a bicycle."
Alfred Görnemann A picture of a man beside a bike Track cyclist October 11, 1903  German Empire Collided with his pacemaker during an October 11, 1903 race on the Dresden track and died that evening.
Jules Oreggia
Track cyclist May 15, 1904  France Died during a stayers race at the Marseille velodrome
Pilack
Track cyclist, pacemaker June 16, 1904  German Empire Died at the track while acting as a pacemaker during a race
Paul Dangla A man holding up a bike Track cyclist June 1904  France Died from injuries he received in a crash on a track at Magdeburg, Germany.
Karl Käser A male cyclist standing next to his bike in a crowd Track cyclist August 14, 1904  German Empire Was killed during a paced race between himself and Thaddeus Robl at the Plauen track in Saxony, Germany. Was utilizing a 24-inch tire on a 22-inch wheel and in the moments before his fatal crash Käser had just pushed back his safety helmet.
George Leander A male cyclist getting an assisted push from a pedestrian Track cyclist August 23, 1904  United States Died as a result of injuries during a race at the Parc des Princes track (or velodrome) in Paris. Had been going 92 kmh/57 mph at the time.
Jimmy Michael Black & white studio portrait of a man Road & Track cyclist November 1904  United Kingdom Died November 20, 1904 as a result of the injuries he received in a crash at a Berlin track a year or two before where his skull was fractured. It is thought that Michael probably had some kind of brain damage from the fall, as afterwards he suffered from severe headaches, had partial paralysis of his face, and had lapses of memory. Michael was en route from the UK to the United States on the ocean steamer "Savoie". The night before he died Michael complained of feeling sick and nauseous, telling the ship's doctor that his symptoms were the result of the Berlin track crash. Some sources state he died from alcoholic delirium tremens or a brain hemorrhage.
Charles Albert Brécy Posed photos of a male cyclist on a bicycle in a studio Track cyclist November 25, 1904  France Crashed into his pacemaker's motorcycle when the engine failed, died eleven days later. The crash occurred during an attempt to break the Paced Hour Record (meaning how much distance could be achieved within an hour) at the Parc des Princes velodrome.
Hubert Sevenich Male cyclist on a bicycle in a crowd of pedestrians Track cyclist May 7, 1905  German Empire Sevenich's sixth stayer competition as a professional was the Grand Prix of Brunswijk on 7 May 1905. During the race a pacer's motorcycle collided with others on the track and Sevenich was crushed to death against the track's guardrail.
Willy Schmitter A male cyclist behind a pacemaking motorcycle during a race Track cyclist September 18, 1905  German Empire Suffered a skull fracture in a crash during the European Championship at the Leipzig track and died a few hours afterwards
Gustav Freudenberg A male cyclist riding his bicycle on a track Track cyclist April 29, 1906  German Empire Collided with a pacemaker's motorcycle at the track in Magdeburg. An artery in his right leg was torn open and he died at the track as a result of his injuries.
Richard Huhndorf A male cyclist riding his bicycle Track cyclist (amateur) & Stayer July 22, 1906  German Empire Fatally injured during a 100 km race, the Kleinen Golden Rad von Halle
Charles Péguy A male cyclist behind a man on a pacemaking motorcycle Track cyclist, pacemaker June 9, 1907  France Died in a crash on the Spandau Track in Berlin.
Louis Mettling A male cyclist headed directly toward the camera Track cyclist June 21, 1907  United States Died in his sleep on June 21 as a result of a crash during a 50-mile pace-following race on the Dresden track June 9, 1907
Josef Schwarzer A man standing comfortably Pacemaker August 30, 1907  German Empire Düsseldorf track
Moritz Hübner A man with a wreath around his neck Track cyclist (amateur) October 13, 1907  German Empire During "Die Goldpokal", a 100 km stayers' race, Hübner fell to the track when his pacing motorcycle broke down, then was fatally injured when a succeeding cycle ran over his body.
Gustav Schadebrodt A man on a pacer-motocycle and a male cyclist Track cyclist October 22, 1907  German Empire Died in a crash at the Brandenburg track with his brother Otto as pacemaker. The two Schadebrodt brothers were a team, Otto Schadebrodt the pacemaker riding a motorcycle in front and Gustav riding his bicycle behind.
Ernst Wolf A man sitting on a motorcycle Pacemaker October 29, 1907  German Empire While standing at the edge of the Dresden Track, Wolf was run over by a fellow pacemaker.
Karel Verbist A man in a bicycle racing uniform standing comfortably Track cyclist July 21, 1909  Belgium Verbist collided with his pacemaker's (Constant Ceurremans') motorcycle on the Bruxelles track. Verbist is the subject of a macabre Flemish folk-poem... "Chareltje, Chareltje Verbist, hadt ge niet gereden op de pist(e), hadt ge niet gelegen in de kist." which roughly translates to "Verbist, if you hadn't ridden your bike, you may not have ended up in a coffin."
Fritz Theile A male cyclist on a bicycle Track cyclist June 4, 1911  German Empire Zehlendorf Velodrome
Hans Bachmann
Pacemaker 1913  German Empire Velodrome Hall
Hans Lange
Track cyclist 1913  German Empire Velodrome Hall
August Kraft
Track cyclist July 25, 1913  German Empire Strasbourg, France
Richard Scheuermann A male cyclist on a bicycle looking up at the camera Track cyclist September 8, 1913  German Empire Killed almost instantly during a 100-kilometer event on the Cologne track. Gus Lawson, Paul Guignard's pacemaker, lost control of his pacemaking motorcycle when the back tire blew out. Emil Meinhold, Scheuermann's pacemaker, then collided – at 50 mph on his motorcycle – straight into the wreckage. Scheuermann and Lawson were both killed almost instantly. Meinhold was mistakenly reported in the newspapers of the day to have died (which error has been repeated in modern references) but he recovered from his injuries and was involved in the cycling world for many years afterwards.
Gus Lawson A man wearing a long coat standing near a racetrack Pacemaker September 8, 1913  United States Killed immediately in a multi bicycle–motorcycle crash on the Cologne track during a 100-kilometer event. (See Richard Scheuermann 'Notes' above)
Max Hansen
Track cyclist October 12, 1913  German Empire Berlin Velodrome Stadium
Piet van Nek Sr. aA male cyclist posed riding on his bike and looking sideways at the camera. Track cyclist April 14, 1914  Netherlands Injured and died as a result of a tire blow-out on the Leipzig track during the inaugural Grote Oostprijs, a 100+ km race. van Nek's Amsterdam artistic gravesite marker is a well-known monument in Amsterdam.
Willy Hamann
Track cyclist July 21, 1914  German Empire Treptow track. The crash occurred on July 15, Hamann died six days later in hospital.
Max Bauer
Pacemaker 1917  German Empire Treptow track
Jacob Esser
Track cyclist July 8, 1917  German Empire Died shortly after a crash at the Düsseldorf Germany track that happened when one of his tires blew out
Louis Darragon A man in a cycling uniform standing beside his bicycle on a racetrack Track cyclist April 28, 1918  France Died in a crash on the track of the Vélodrome d'Hiver Paris.
Peter Günther Studio portrait of a man wearing a cap Track cyclist October 7, 1918  German Empire Günther died the day after an October 6 crash at a track in Düsseldorf. He was involved in a collision with his pacemaker's motorcycle after the motorcycle's rear tire burst.
Hans Schneider
Track cyclist January 1920  Weimar Republic
Emanuel Kudela Male cyclist on a bicycle headed straight toward the camera Track cyclist September 22, 1920  Weimar Republic Olympia track, Berlin
Christian Oorlemans
Pacemaker August 22, 1922  Netherlands Died in a crash during a track race at Amsterdam's "Het Stadion". Thousands attended Oorlemans' funeral procession.
Walter Ebert
Track cyclist June 1, 1924  Weimar Republic Magdeburg track
Gustave Ganay Seated man in cycling uniform Track cyclist August 23, 1926  France Stayer. Died from a fall at the Parc des Princes. The crash was immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast with "where we saw that great rider Ganay fall and heard his skull crumple under the crash helmet as you crack an hard-boiled egg against a stone to peel it on a picnic."
Franz Krupkat
Track cyclist June 1, 1927  Weimar Republic Leipzig track
Ernst Feja
Track cyclist June 1, 1927  Weimar Republic Crashed while training on the concrete track at Oerlikon in Zurich
Constant Ceurremans
Pacemaker June 18, 1931  Belgium /
 Netherlands
Died in a crash on the track at Cologne. Also involved in Karel (Charles) Verbist's fatal crash in 1909
Werner Krüger An old postcard showing a pacemaker and a male cyclist Pacemaker July 21, 1931  Weimar Republic Died after a fall on the Cologne-Riehl track during a stayer race, while riding as a pacemaker for Emil Thollembeek Was a survivor of the 1909 Friedenau disaster.
Georg Pawlack
Track cyclist June 10, 1933  Nazi Germany Run over by a pacemaker after his bicycle slipped on a rain-soaked track
Georges Lemaire Three men standing with a bicycle Road cyclist September 29, 1933  Belgium Died in a crash during the Belgian club championship road race in Uccle, Belgium.
Emil Richli
Track cyclist May 13, 1934   Switzerland Track championships
Francisco Cepeda
Road cyclist July 14, 1935  Spain Tour de France. "Fell down a ravine near Bourg-d'Oisans", died while making the Col du Galibier descent.
Giulio Bartali
Road cyclist (amateur) June 14, 1936  Italy Brother and training partner of 1938 and 1948 Tour de France winner Gino Bartali. Giulio and Gino Bartali were participating in a regional championship race in Florence, the Targa Chiari, when a car drove onto the course and mowed Giulio down. He died two days later in hospital, never having regained consciousness.
Len Johnson
Track and Road cyclist (amateur) August 8, 1936  Australia Melbourne to Sale Race. Johnson was riding on the Princes Highway, when he slowed due to a puncture and was hit by a truck laden with timber.
Stefan Veger
Track cyclist November 1936  Netherlands Track Gent
André Raynaud Man in a cycling suit wearing a leather helmet Track cyclist March 1937  France A world champion stayer, Raynaud died during an Antwerp Sportpaleis track race.
Adrien Buttafochi Buttafocch in the 1934 Tour de France Road cyclist July 6, 1937  France As he was descending the Col Esteret pass during the Grand Prix d'Antibes, Buttafocchi crashed into a wayward vehicle driving up the hill. He lingered in a coma for a few days before dying.
Hefty Stuart
Road & Track cyclist December 9, 1938  Australia Riding in a motor pacing event, Walter "Hefty" Stuart's front tire blew out, causing him to fall and he was run over by a following pacing motorcycle. Stuart died in hospital two weeks later.
Jean Alavoine Male cyclist posed riding a bicycle Road cyclist July 18, 1943  France Alavoine's professional career lasted from 1908 until 1925, he won 17 Tour de France stages along the way. In 1943 at the age of 55 he died during a veterans race in Argenteuil.
Richard Depoorter
Road cyclist June 16, 1948  Belgium Crashed into a tunnel wall on a descent of the Sustenpas near Bern, during the Tour of Switzerland, died onsite or shortly thereafter of his injuries.
Léon Level Three male cyclists standing in a row Road & Track cyclist March 26, 1949  France Fractured his skull in a crash and died at the Parc des Princes track in Paris.
Paul Chacque
Road & Track cyclist September 1949  France Died when he fractured his skull during a race at the "Parc des Princes" track in Paris
Paul Kroll
Road, Track cyclist (professional) November 8, 1949  Germany Died in a crash during a Berlin 1000 laps race at the Funkturm track
Gerard van Beek A man being carried by several other men on a racetrack Road cyclist March 15, 1951  Netherlands Died of a skull fracture suffered during the Berlin Six-Day race held in March
Camille Danguillaume A male cyclist in a cycling uniform looking into the uniform Road cyclist June 26, 1951  France Killed in collision with press motorcycle during Critérium International (Championship of France)
Serse Coppi
Road cyclist (professional) June 29, 1951  Italy Crashed near the end of the 1951 Tour of Piedmont (aka "Tour du Piedmont" and "Giro del Piemonte") on June 28. Finished race but then died the next day.
Rudi Mirke
Road cyclist (professional) December 10, 1951  Germany Berlin Six Day. Died after falling during the race.
Orfeo Ponsin
Road cyclist (professional) May 20, 1952  Italy Crashed in the fourth stage of the 1952 Giro d'Italia. Died in hospital that evening.
Erich Metze
Road, Track cyclist July 28, 1952  Germany Metze suffered three skull fractures during his long career, which stretched from 1930 until 1952. The last one was fatal and occurred during a race on the Erfurt cycle track.
Stan Ockers A male cyclist looking over his shoulder Road cyclist (professional) October 1, 1956  Belgium 1955 World Champion (Road Race) track race at the Sportpaleis Antwerp
Joaquín Polo
Road cyclist (professional) August 4, 1958  Spain Died of heatstroke during the 1958 Tour of Portugal
Raúl Motos
Road cyclist (professional)  Spain
Russell Mockridge Two male cyclists in profile Road cyclist (professional) September 13, 1958  Australia Tour of Gippsland.
Kiyoshi Kitazawa Track cyclist (keirin) May 1959  Japan All-Star Keirin [ja], taking place at the Osaka Nagai Velodrome
Knud Enemark Jensen
Road cyclist (amateur) September 1960  Denmark Jensen collapsed during the 100-kilometer team time trial at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, suffering a skull fracture and dying several hours later. Some commentators state that Jensen's autopsy revealed traces of drugs in his system but the Italian authorities' 1961 report stated that the official cause of death was heatstroke. A race-day temperature of 40 degrees Celsius/104 degrees Fahrenheit and Jensen's post-crash care (being kept in a "hot military tent"), could have been probable contributing factors.
Alessandro Fantini
Road cyclist (professional) May 5, 1961  Italy Died after a crash at the end of the sixth stage of the 1961 Tour of Germany
Shosuke Fukushima [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) April 30, 1967  Japan All-Star Keirin [ja], taking place at the Kishiwada Velodrome [ja] Fell off his bike, where he died of skull fracture.
Tom Simpson Tom Simpson in his 1966 cycling uniform Road cyclist (professional) July 13, 1967  United Kingdom Fell unconscious from his bike on the ascent up Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France, after suffering heart issues, heatstroke, the aftereffects of taking amphetamine and other medical issues. He died shortly afterwards in hospital, near where his famous memorial stands.
Masamitsu Nakamura Track cyclist (keirin) August 1967  Japan National Prefectural Keirin Championship [ja], Shizuoka Velodrome [ja] His and Fujishima's death at a high-profile race (the equivalent of today's GI) led to wider rule revisions by NJS to improve safety.
Valentín Uriona
Road cyclist (professional) July 30, 1967  Spain Spanish Championship
José Samyn
Road cyclist (professional) August 28, 1969  France Zingem, Belgium
Radamés Treviño
Road and Track cyclist (professional) April 12, 1970  Mexico Crashed during a regional race between Pachuca and Mexico City.
Jean-Pierre Monseré Two men in conversation, one of them holding a toddler Road cyclist (professional) March 15, 1971  Belgium Grand Prix de Retie.
Manuel Galera Male cyclist on a bicycle Road cyclist (professional) February 14, 1972  Spain Tour of Andalusia
Graeme Jose
Road cyclist (amateur) June 23, 1973  Australia While taking part in a race in Feldkirch Austria, he ran into the rear of a parked tray-topped lorry and was killed.
Juan Manuel Santisteban A man in a Monte Verde cycling jersey Road cyclist (professional) May 21, 1976  Spain Giro d'Italia. Died as a result of injuries when his head struck a crash barrier.
Karl Kaminski Cyclists racing on a banked track Road, Track cyclist October 8, 1978  East Germany Leipzig
Joaquim Agostinho Male cyclist in 1974 Bic team uniform Road cyclist (professional) May 10, 1984  Portugal During the Tour of Algarve. Died ten days after colliding with a dog which had run onto the race-course.
Emilio Ravasio
Road cyclist (professional) May 28, 1986  Italy Giro d'Italia
Vicente Mata
Road cyclist (professional) February 17, 1987  Spain Trofeo Luis Puig. Died after colliding with a car during race.
Michel Goffin
Road cyclist (professional) February 27, 1987  Belgium Tour du Haut-Var in Marseilles France. Goffin crashed and, after spending six days in a coma, died from his injuries.
Connie Meijer
Road cyclist August 17, 1988  Netherlands Died during a criterium in the Netherlands
Noriyuki Tonai [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) May 17, 1992  Japan Fukui Velodrome [ja]
Fabio Casartelli A memorial plaque with a photo in the middle Road cyclist (professional) July 18, 1995  Italy Tour de France.
José Antonio Espinosa
Road cyclist (professional) November 1996  Spain Criterium at Fuenlabrada
Isamu Narishima [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) July 24, 1998  Japan Tachikawa Velodrome
Manuel Sanroma
Road cyclist (professional) June 19, 1999  Spain Had a major crash 1 km from the end of a stage in the Volta a Catalunya and died at a nearby hospital
Saúl Morales
Road cyclist (professional) February 28, 2000  Spain Hit by truck during the 2000 Tour of Argentina
Nicole Reinhart
Road, Track cyclist (professional) September 17, 2000  United States Died as a result of a single-bike crash when she hit a tree during the 2000 BMC Tour event in Arlington/Boston.
Masaharu Hattori [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) January 3, 2003  Japan 2R, A-class race; Ito Onsen Velodrome [ja]. Collapsed during cooling lap after finishing 4th. Was already in cardiac arrest when doctors arrived. Later died in hospital.
Andrey Kivilev Road cyclist (professional) March 12, 2003  Kazakhstan Crashed during the 2003 Paris–Nice and died the next morning. Kivilev was not wearing a helmet. After his death, the wearing of helmets became compulsory in all official UCI races.
Juan Barrero
Road cyclist (amateur) June 11, 2004  Colombia Crashed during a stage of the Vuelta a Colombia ("Tour of Colombia") on a high-speed descent early on in the stage. Barrero died in hospital shortly thereafter.
Tim Pauwels
Cyclo-cross (professional) September 26, 2004  Belgium Passed out during an early-season cyclo-cross race in Erpe-Mere, Belgium and crashed. Some sources say that Pauwels' heart had stopped before the crash.
Alessio Galletti
Road cyclist (professional) June 15, 2005  Italy Died of a heart attack 15 km from the finish line of the Subida al Naranco
Patricia Pepper
Road cyclist July 25, 2006  United Kingdom At 70 years of age, while competing in a time trial her bike and another bike collided — she died in hospital nine days later.
Isaac Gálvez
Road cyclist (professional) November 26, 2006  Spain Six Days of Ghent. Galvez died after coming into contact with Dimitri De Fauw and then crashing into a track railing.
Bruno Neves
Road cyclist (professional) May 11, 2008  Portugal Classica de Amarante. Neves' collapse from heart failure caused him to crash during the race.
Kei Uchida [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) September 11, 2008  Japan 7R of S-class qualifying race during the first day of the All-Star Keirin [ja] at the Ichinomiya Velodrome [ja]. During the penultimate part of the decisive lap, whilst attempting to pass, Uchida was nudged into one side by an overtaking rider, who then rebounded into another rider who had to rear back. This caused the spokes of Uchida's bicycle to collapse, throwing him over the handlebar face-first, striking his face onto the ground. He died in hospital hours later. By then, Uchida was the 48th cyclist to die in accidents in the history of professional keirin, also the 4th to die in a GI graded event.
Terumitsu Nakagaki [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) February 15, 2010  Japan 3R, A-class qualifying race, Hiroshima Velodrome [ja]. During the closing lap, he began to lose pace and collapsed where he was taken into hospital. He had already been in cardiac arrest and died shortly after.
Thomas Casarotto
Road cyclist (professional) September 10, 2010  Italy During the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia at Pesariis, Casarotto hit the wing mirror of a SUV parked on the course and then crashed. He died September 15, 2010, of head injuries and trauma.
Wouter Weylandt A man in sunglasses and a cycling uniform Road cyclist (professional)
Leopard Trek
May 9, 2011  Belgium Fatal crash on the Passo del Bocco during the third stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia
Teruo Sakamoto [ja] Track cyclist (keirin) July 7, 2012  Japan 9R, A-class qualifying race, Odawara Keirin Velodrome [ja]. Crashed into a timing equipment, used for photo finishes, after swerving inward to avoid another rider, who fell off in front of him whilst fighting for the lead. Died in hospital.
Wouter Dewilde
Road cyclist March 1, 2013  Belgium Dewilde was involved in a fatal crash during a regional event for elite racing cyclists without a contract, Brugge (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium
Junior Heffernan
Road cyclist (amateur) March 3, 2013  Ireland Died after collision with a car during the Severn Bridge Road Race in Gloucestershire
Marcelo Graces
Road cyclist March 31, 2013  Uruguay Graces was involved in a fatal crash during last stage of Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay after collision with a motorcycle during the time trial final stage of the race
Jeanné Nell
Track cyclist February 11, 2014  RSA Died in Cape Town, South Africa, during a keirin race
Annefleur Kalvenhaar
Mountainbiker August 23, 2014  Netherlands Died in Grenoble, France, due to a crash during a UCI World Cup XCE race in Méribel, France
Will Olson
Enduro/Mountainbike (amateur) August 2, 2015  USA Died in Crested Butte during an Enduro World Series race
Antoine Demoitié Male cyclist wearing a colorful uniform Road cyclist (professional)
Wanty–Groupe Gobert
March 27, 2016  Belgium Died in hospital in Lille, due to injuries sustained in a crash during the Gent–Wevelgem race. Having been one of a group of cyclists who fell as the race went through Sainte-Marie-Cappel, he was struck by a motorbike accompanying the race.
Daan Myngheer A man wearing a cycling windbreaker smiling into the camera Road cyclist (professional)
Roubaix–Métropole Européenne de Lille
March 28, 2016  Belgium Died in hospital two days after suffering a heart attack during first stage of Critérium International
Gijs Verdick
Road cyclist (professional)
Cyclingteam Jo Piels
May 9, 2016  Netherlands Died a week after suffering two heart attacks at the Under-23 Carpathian Couriers Race in Poland.
Bahman Golbarnezhad Male cyclist in the Uniform of the Iranian Paralympic Team riding a bicycle Road cyclist
Iranian Paralympic
September 17, 2016  Iran 2016 Summer Paralympics. Had a head injury after colliding with a rock midway through the C4 road race of the Paralympics. Subsequently had cardiac arrest and died on the way to hospital.
Eslam Nasser Zaki
Road, Track cyclist March 20, 2017  Egypt Suffered a fatal heart attack while riding in the omnium event at the African Continental Track Championships at the Cyril Geoghegan Velodrome in Durban, South Africa. He was a member of the Bahraini VIB Bikes road race team.
Mike Hall Mike Hall, seated, at a table with a microphone in his hand, before a 2015 race Road endurance cyclist March 31, 2017  United Kingdom Died after being struck by a car on the outskirts of Canberra, Australia. He was in second place in a 3,300-mile race, the Indian Pacific Wheel Race, which was subsequently cancelled.
Chad Young Male cyclist in Team USA cycling uniform Road cyclist (professional)
Axeon–Hagens Berman
April 28, 2017  United States Received severe head injuries in a fall on a descent during the final stage of the Tour of the Gila into Pinos Altos, New Mexico and died in hospital in Tucson five days later.
Casey Saunders
Road cyclist (professional) June 25, 2017  United States Died after crashing in the Pro-1-2 criterium at Tour of Kansas City
Ray Dare
Road cyclist (amateur) July 19, 2017  United Kingdom Died after being rear-ended by a vehicle on the A41 near Aylesbury while attempting a 10 mile national record for his age (91) in a time trial.
Mathieu Riebel
Road cyclist (professional)
Shell Pacific team
October 20, 2017  France Died instantly in a collision on the descent of the Col de La Pirogue during Stage 9 of the Tour de Nouvelle-Calédonie
Michael Goolaerts A man in a cycling uniform and suncap Road cyclist (professional)
Vérandas Willems–Crelan
April 8, 2018  Belgium During the Paris–Roubaix classic, Goolaerts suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest on the third cobbled sector at Saint-Python, after 109 km of racing. He was resuscitated by paramedics and transferred by helicopter to CHRU-Hospital in Lille, although he died later that day.
Stef Loos
Road cyclist (professional)
Acrog-Pauwelssauzen-Balen team
March 18, 2019  Belgium Died after colliding with a van on the Mémorial Alfred Gadenne after a group of three riders took the wrong turning at a junction
Robbert de Greef A male cyclist in partial uniform casually looking into the camera Road cyclist (professional)
Alecto Cycling Team
April 25, 2019  Netherlands Suffered cardiac arrest during the Omloop van de Braakman race
Bjorg Lambrecht A male cyclist standing in full cycling uniform Road cyclist (professional)
Lotto–Soudal
August 5, 2019  Belgium Crashed into a concrete culvert during stage three of the 2019 Tour de Pologne. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance and died during surgery.
Suleiman Kangangi closeup of man wearing a racing helmet and smiling broadly Road / Gravel Cyclist August 27, 2022  Kenya Kangangi was killed in a high speed crash while riding in a gravel race in Vermont.
Gino Mäder Road Cyclist (professional)
Team Bahrain Victorious
June 16, 2023   Switzerland Gino Mäder died following a crash on the descent of the Albula Pass on stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse.

Cyclists who died during training

The following athletes died while individually training for competitions or during scheduled breaks while participating in a professional race. The only incident of multiple deaths from a team involved Néstor Mora, Augusto Triana, and Hernán Patiño from Team Postobón in 1995. The death rates for cyclists, in general, differ from country to country depending on how popular cycling is. A 2015 study of European Union cyclists' deaths, for instance, showed that in the Netherlands almost 25% of road deaths were cyclists while Greece had less than 5%.

1900 to 1989

Cyclists who died during training
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Archie McEachern
Track cyclist May 13, 1902  Canada Coliseum Cycling Track, Atlantic City, New Jersey. McEachern was participating in a practice run prior to the Atlantic City velodrome's official opening. Riding close to the pace vehicle, McEachern was fatally injured when the bike's drive chain broke and died within minutes.
Breton
Track cyclist August 1902 Unknown Parc des Princes track. Killed when he steered his bicycle away from another cyclist and into the path of a 14-horsepower motorcycle being driven at 50 mph by Marius Thé. The track management allowed motorcyclists and racing bicyclists (called "flyers") to train at the same time.
Edouard Taylor man on a bicycle Track cyclist 1903  France Died at Aubervilliers, France in 1903.
Hugh McLean
Track cyclist September 5, 1909  United States Revere, Massachusetts cycling track. Died as a result of a training crash earlier in the month at the cycling track in Revere, Massachusetts.
Franz Suter Franz Suter standing and wearing a striped sweater in 1912 Road cyclist June 1, 1914   Switzerland Struck by a train while training with his brother Paul near Courbevoie, France
Ottavio Bottecchia black&white studio photo of a man looking directly into the camera Road cyclist June 14, 1927  Italy Found by the side of the road with bruises and serious skull fracture. The cause has remained a mystery – various theories have included a solo-crash/serious fall or an assault by unknown Fascists.
Gustave Lejour
Track cyclist 1928 Unknown Died while training on the Frankfurt (Germany) track
Leo Verberkt
Track cyclist December 7, 1936  Netherlands Died on the "Aalsterweg" near Eindhoven after being hit by a bus.
Seiki Hirama [ja] Track cyclist August 21, 1968  Japan Fell off his bike and fractured his skull on August 16, during training camp at the Hiratsuka Velodrome [ja], preparing for the 1968 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Later died in hospital of cerebral contusion. Hirama wore a leather helmet.

1990 to 2000

Cyclists who died during training
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Antonio Martín
Road cyclist February 11, 1994  Spain Killed by a truck while training near Madrid
Néstor Mora
Road cyclist February 21, 1995  Colombia Three members of Team Postobón were killed almost immediately while group training when a truck collided with another vehicle, sending the second vehicle careening into the group of cyclists.
Augusto Triana
Road cyclist  Colombia
Hernán Patiño
Road cyclist  Colombia
Anders Nilsson
Road cyclist professional June 21, 2000  Sweden Died immediately when hit by a speeding car during bicycle training, the driver left the scene. National team member in triathlon.

2001 to 2009

Cyclists who died during training
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Ricardo Otxoa
Road cyclist professional February 15, 2001  Spain Hit by a car during a training session together with his brother Javier (who survived but had serious brain injuries). The Circuito de Getxo was renamed the Memorial Ricardo Otxoa in his honor.
Luke Harrop
Road cyclist professional January 13, 2002  Australia Struck by a stolen car driven by an unlicensed driver who was out on bail at the time and who also fled the scene. Gold Coast, Brisbane, Australia during a training ride. Having severe head trauma, former champion triathlete Harrop died a day after the crash. In 2003, Australia's Gold Coast Triathlon was renamed in Harrop's memory as the Gold Coast Triathlon – Luke Harrop Memorial.
David Martin
Road cyclist amateur November 4, 2002  United States Hit by a drunk driver during training
Haruko Fujinaka
Mountainbike downhiller (pro) May 17, 2003  Japan Crashed and died during a practice run for the opening round of the 2003 NORBA National Championship Series at Big Bear Lake, California
Lauri Aus
Road cyclist professional July 20, 2003  Estonia Hit by a truck driven by a drunk driver while training for the Estonian MTB (Mountain Biking) Championship
Amy Gillett
Road cyclist July 18, 2005  Australia Head-on collision with a car in Germany (while training with her squad for the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen which had been scheduled for the next day)
Frederiek Nolf Frederiek Nolf in a cycling uniform Road cyclist February 5, 2009  Belgium Died in his sleep of a heart attack during the 2009 Tour of Qatar
Zinaida Stahurskaya
Road cyclist June 25, 2009  Belarus Struck and killed by a speeding car while training for the Belarus national championship on a public road.

2010 to 2020

Cyclists who died during training
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Jure Robič male cyclist standing on a winner's podium Road cyclist September 24, 2010  Slovenia Died in a head-on collision with a car while descending on a narrow mountain forest road in Plavški Rovt near Jesenice, Slovenia.
Carla Swart
Road cyclist January 19, 2011  South Africa Turned into the path of an oncoming truck in a bid to retrieve her cycling computer that she had just lost. Swart was a professional who had previously won nineteen individual and team cycling titles spanning four different variations of biking (cyclo-cross, mountain bike, road, and track) while on the Lees–McRae College cycling team.
Carly Hibberd Carly Hibberd memorial/accident marker Road cyclist July 6, 2011  Australia Hit by a car while training in Italy
Victor Cabedo Male cyclist during race on his bicycle in colorful orange racing outfit Road cyclist September 19, 2012  Spain Died during a training ride after colliding with a vehicle
Iñaki Lejarreta cyclist on bike on a mountain trail Mountain biker December 12, 2012  Spain Killed in a training crash when his cycle was struck by a car
Burry Stander male cyclist crossing the finish line, arms held aloft – Burry Stander winning the under 23 men's XC title at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Mountain biker January 1, 2013  South Africa Died during a training ride after colliding with a vehicle
Amy Dombroski Amy Dombroski on a bicycle during a race Cyclo-cross October 3, 2013  United States Hit by a truck while training in Belgium
Kristof Goddaert closeup of a cyclist in bicycle wearing helmet & cycling gear Road cyclist October 18, 2014  Belgium Killed during a training ride in Antwerp when he fell from his bike and was struck by a bus
Claudio Clarindo
Road cyclist January 25, 2016  Brazil Struck by an automobile whose driver had fallen asleep, Clarindo died almost immediately after being hit.
Kelly McGarry
Freerider February 1, 2016  New Zealand Died from cardiac arrest while biking on the Fernhill Loop Track in Central Otago.
Ellen Watters
Road cyclist December 23, 2016  Canada Died following a collision involving her bicycle and an automobile during a training ride in Sussex, New Brunswick
Michele Scarponi male bicyclist in colorful racing outfit Road cyclist April 22, 2017  Italy Died after being hit by a truck, while on a training ride in Filottrano.
Jason Lowndes male cyclist in racing outfit Road cyclist December 22, 2017  Australia Struck by a car while training near Bendigo, Australia
Alistair Eeckman
Triathlete/Duathlete August 20, 2018  United States Died after colliding with a line bus on a post-race recovery ride in Weyer, Austria at 2:10 pm local time, the day after racing Powerman Austria, placing 6th. Winner of the 2017 Powerman Duathlon in Panama.
Ben Sonntag
Mountain biker March 4, 2020  United States Struck by a pickup truck while training near Durango, Colorado. Sonntag was a world-class athlete in multiple sports, including being a professional mountain cyclist. He had previously won elite world championships in winter triathlon, was an All-American in cross-country skiing for the University of Alaska Anchorage, and had won three individual national collegiate cycling titles while at Fort Lewis College in Durango – two collegiate cross-country bike national titles and a championship in short-track.
Jan Riedmann
Road cyclist August 2, 2020  Germany A member of Team Auto Eder Bayern, the Under-19 team of Bora–Hansgrohe. Struck by a car while training with teammates near Sugenheim in Bavaria.

2021 to present

Cyclists who died during training
Name Image Competitive status Date of death Nationality Location of death and additional information
Daniel Pedraza Castillo
Road cyclist January 25, 2021  Colombia Hit by a public transportation bus that had reversed to pick up a passenger on the side of the road while Pedraza Castillo was doing time trial work.
Ryunosuke Narikiyo Track cyclist (keirin) February 24, 2021  Japan Collision with a truck on public road whilst on a training ride with his teammates.
Gwen Inglis
Road cyclist May 16, 2021  USA Inglis was the 2019 US Masters road race champion in the 45-49 age group and a member of the Back Swift-Cycleton Cycling Team. She was hit by a car driven by an apparently impaired driver that veered into the bike lane while Inglis was on a training ride.
Adrián Babič
-
Road cyclist May 26, 2021  Slovakia Babič was the champion and the vice-champion of Slovakia in the individual time trial in the under-23 category, Slovakia's junior champion in winter triathlon, and the winner of the Slovak World Cycling Cup of 2019. Competed at the 2018 World Championships. Babič was struck by a vehicle while training
Desiet Kidane
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Road cyclist November 8, 2021  Eritrea Kidane was struck and killed while training in Asmara. At the time of her death, the 21- year old cyclist was considered a promising talent in the World Cycling Centre programme
Estela Domínguez
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Road cyclist and cyclocross rider February 9, 2023  Spain Killed in a collision with a lorry at Villares de la Reina at the age of 19, Domínguez, from Valladolid and the daughter of a Giro d'Italia stage winner had been training for her first year as a professional with the Sopela team.
Germán Chaves
-
Road cyclist June 3, 2023  Colombia Killed in a collision with a truck while training in Chocontà his hometown at the age of 28. He was training with his father when they were both struck, killing Germán instantly and his father later in hospital. Chaves was an active cyclist since 2014 and was currently with Team Sistecrédito.
Tijl De Decker De Decker Road cyclist August 25, 2023  Belgium Collided with the rear of a car while training in Lier, close to his hometown Antwerp. He died at Antwerp University Hospital at the age of 22 as a result of his injuries. De Decker was an active rider for Lotto–Dstny Development Team and was set to join UCI ProTeam Lotto–Dstny for the 2024 UCI World Tour season.


See also