Fabio Casartelli
Encyclopedia
Fabio Casartelli was an Italian
cyclist
and an Olympic
gold medalist who died in a crash on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet
, France
, during the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France
.
He was born in Como
, Italy
.
in the 1992 Summer Olympics
road race. He finished the 194 km race in 4:35:21, a second ahead of Erik Dekker
of the Netherlands
and 3 ahead of Dainis Ozols
of Latvia
.
1991
1992
and finished the Giro d'Italia
. In 1994 he moved to ZG-Mobili. For his third professional year, he moved to Team Motorola. He placed sixth in the Spanish
Clásica de Almería
and third in the second stage of the Spanish Tour of Murcia. Casartelli was selected to represent his team for the 1995 Tour de France along with Alvaro Mejia, Frankie Andreu
, Lance Armstrong
, Steve Bauer
, Kaspars Ozers
, Andrea Peron
, Steve Swart and Sean Yates
.
1994 - Team ZG-Mobili Bottecchia
1995 - Team Motorola
On July 18 during the fifteenth stage of the 1995 Tour de France, Fabio Casartelli and a few other riders crashed on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet
in the Pyrenees
. Casartelli's head struck the concrete blocks along the roadway, causing severe head injuries and loss of consciousness. Doctors arrived within ten seconds. While being flown to a local hospital by helicopter, Casartelli stopped breathing and after numerous resuscitation attempts was declared dead. There is a debate as to whether Casartelli would have survived if he was wearing a bicycle helmet
. Gerard Porte, the Tour's senior doctor, claimed that protection was academic since the fatal blow was to an area of Casartelli's head that would not have been covered by a helmet. However Michel Disteldorf, the French doctor who examined Casartelli's body on behalf of the coroner in Tarbes, where the rider was flown by helicopter after he crashed, told The Sunday Times that the point of impact was on the top of the skull, and that had Casartelli been wearing a hard helmet "some injuries could have been avoided".
His Motorola team continued the Tour de France, crossing the finish line of the next stage first, side by side. The peloton
followed behind, riding slowly. The Société du Tour de France awarded the stage prizes as normal, and the riders donated all the money won that day to a fund established for his family. The Tour later matched that amount, and thousands of individuals contributed to the fund.
Three days after the accident Fabio Casartelli's teammate Lance Armstrong
went on to win the eighteenth stage. He dedicated the stage win to Fabio Casartelli by pointing at the sky as he rode over the finish line.
The Société du Tour de France and the Motorola team placed a memorial near where he crashed. It is situated at GPS co-ordinates 42°56′59.89"N 0°49′7.74"E (42.940, 0.819). The memorial is a sundial
arranged so that the sun's shadow highlights three dates — his birth and death and the day he won his Olympic gold medal. The bicycle he was riding at the time of his fatal crash was placed in the chapel at the Madonna del Ghisallo
, a church and museum to cyclists near his home.
In 1997, the young rider classification in the Tour de France
was renamed "Souvenir Fabio Casartelli" in his honour.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
cyclist
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
and an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist who died in a crash on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet
Col de Portet d'Aspet
The Col de Portet d'Aspet is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees in the department of Haute-Garonne in France. It is situated on the D618 road between Aspet and St. Girons. At , it connects the Ger and Bouigane valleys, on the slopes of the Pic de Paloumère .-Details of climb:Starting from...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, during the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France
1995 Tour de France
The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 23, 1995. It was Miguel Indurain's fifth and final victory in the Tour. On the fifteenth stage Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after an accident on the Col de Portet d'Aspet....
.
He was born in Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Amateur career
Fabio Casartelli showed great promise as an amateur. He had many important wins and placings between 1990 and 1992, climaxing in winning a gold medalGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
road race. He finished the 194 km race in 4:35:21, a second ahead of Erik Dekker
Erik Dekker
Hendrik "Erik" Dekker is a retired Dutch professional road racing cyclist active from 1992 until 2006. He was a member of the Rabobank cycling team from 1996 till 2006. In 2007 he became one of Rabobank's team managers.-Amateur career:...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and 3 ahead of Dainis Ozols
Dainis Ozols
Dainis Ozols is a professional cyclist from Latvia. In the 1992 Summer Olympics he earned a bronze medal in the 194 km road race, finishing in 4:32:24, 3 seconds behind Erik Dekker of the Netherlands and 4 seconds behind the winner Fabio Casartelli of Italy.His surname is often misspelled as...
of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
Amateur victories
1990- Trofeo Sironi
1991
- Monte Carlo-Alassio
- Gemeli Meda
- Coppa Casale
- GP Capodarco di Fermo
- Trofeo Cesab
1992
Olympic Road Race ChampionshipCycling at the 1992 Summer OlympicsFinal results for the Cycling competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics. There were two categories of events – road cycling and track cycling...- Monte Carlo-Alassio
- GP Diano Marina
- Coppa Cigogna
- Trophia de Mare
Professional career
Casartelli began his professional career in 1993 with the Ariostea team. He won a stage in the Settimana Bergamasca race, came second in a stage of the Tour de SuisseTour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and finished the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
. In 1994 he moved to ZG-Mobili. For his third professional year, he moved to Team Motorola. He placed sixth in the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Clásica de Almería
Clásica de Almería
The Clásica de Almería is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in March in Almería, Spain, starting and finishing in Almería itself. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Established in 1986, the race was run as an amateur event in its first six years...
and third in the second stage of the Spanish Tour of Murcia. Casartelli was selected to represent his team for the 1995 Tour de France along with Alvaro Mejia, Frankie Andreu
Frankie Andreu
Frankie Andreu is a former professional cyclist whose career highlights include riding as team captain of the U.S. Postal Service cycling team along with Lance Armstrong in 1998, 1999 and 2000.-Cycling career:...
, Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
, Steve Bauer
Steve Bauer
Steven Todd Bauer, MSM is a former professional road bicycle racer from Canada. He is an Olympic medallist and winner of several professional races.-Cycling career:...
, Kaspars Ozers
Kaspars Ozers
Kaspars Ozers is a former Latvian professional cyclist who had a brief professional career during the 1990s. He took part in the Tour de France twice, as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. In 1995 one of his teammates was Fabio Casartelli...
, Andrea Peron
Andrea Peron
Andrea Peron is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. Peron turned professional in 1993, riding for team Gatorade...
, Steve Swart and Sean Yates
Sean Yates
Sean Yates is an English former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif at Team Sky.-Career:Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics...
.
Professional results
1993 - Team Ariostea- Giro d'Italia: 107th overall
- Settimana Bergamasca: first stage 1
- Tour de Suisse: second stage 5, third stage 2
- Tour de France: last stage 121,
1994 - Team ZG-Mobili Bottecchia
- Giro di Toscana: 15th overall
1995 - Team Motorola
- Classica Costa del Almeria: sixth overall
- Tour de Suisse: second stage 1
- Tour of Murcia: third stage 7
Death
Col de Portet d'Aspet
The Col de Portet d'Aspet is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees in the department of Haute-Garonne in France. It is situated on the D618 road between Aspet and St. Girons. At , it connects the Ger and Bouigane valleys, on the slopes of the Pic de Paloumère .-Details of climb:Starting from...
in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. Casartelli's head struck the concrete blocks along the roadway, causing severe head injuries and loss of consciousness. Doctors arrived within ten seconds. While being flown to a local hospital by helicopter, Casartelli stopped breathing and after numerous resuscitation attempts was declared dead. There is a debate as to whether Casartelli would have survived if he was wearing a bicycle helmet
Bicycle helmet
A bicycle helmet is a helmet intended to be worn while riding a bicycle. They are designed to attenuate impacts to the skull of a cyclist in falls while minimizing side effects such as interference with peripheral vision...
. Gerard Porte, the Tour's senior doctor, claimed that protection was academic since the fatal blow was to an area of Casartelli's head that would not have been covered by a helmet. However Michel Disteldorf, the French doctor who examined Casartelli's body on behalf of the coroner in Tarbes, where the rider was flown by helicopter after he crashed, told The Sunday Times that the point of impact was on the top of the skull, and that had Casartelli been wearing a hard helmet "some injuries could have been avoided".
His Motorola team continued the Tour de France, crossing the finish line of the next stage first, side by side. The peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
followed behind, riding slowly. The Société du Tour de France awarded the stage prizes as normal, and the riders donated all the money won that day to a fund established for his family. The Tour later matched that amount, and thousands of individuals contributed to the fund.
Three days after the accident Fabio Casartelli's teammate Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
went on to win the eighteenth stage. He dedicated the stage win to Fabio Casartelli by pointing at the sky as he rode over the finish line.
The Société du Tour de France and the Motorola team placed a memorial near where he crashed. It is situated at GPS co-ordinates 42°56′59.89"N 0°49′7.74"E (42.940, 0.819). The memorial is a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
arranged so that the sun's shadow highlights three dates — his birth and death and the day he won his Olympic gold medal. The bicycle he was riding at the time of his fatal crash was placed in the chapel at the Madonna del Ghisallo
Madonna del Ghisallo
Madonna del Ghisallo is a hill in Magreglio, close to Lake Como in Italy. It is named after a legendary Marian apparition.According to the legend, the Medieval count Ghisallo was being attacked by bandits when he saw an image of Virgin Mary at a shrine. He ran to it and was saved from the robbers...
, a church and museum to cyclists near his home.
In 1997, the young rider classification in the Tour de France
Young rider classification in the Tour de France
-History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification...
was renamed "Souvenir Fabio Casartelli" in his honour.