Wouter Weylandt
Encyclopedia
Wouter Weylandt was a Belgian
professional cyclist
for UCI ProTeam and later for . His first major win was the 17th stage of the 2008 Vuelta a España
. He also won the 3rd stage of the 2010 Giro d'Italia
. He died in a crash during the 3rd stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia
.
, Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
and Circuit Franco-Belge
, where he took twelfth place. He was part of the Belgian team in the under-23 category at the 2005 UCI Road World Championships
.
Weylandt turned professional for in 2005, but this first professional season was marred by mononucleosis
detected at the beginning of the year. Towards the end of the season, he won the GP Briek Schotte, and finished fifth at the Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen event and the National Award, demonstrating his excellent sprinting qualities.
In 2006, his first full season, he finished fifth in the Three Days of West Flanders, then second in the Nokere Koerse, where he won the bunch sprint behind Bert Roesems
. During this season, he failed to achieve any victories, apart from the small GP Vichte, but showed great consistency in the sprint, in particular, winning the points classification of the Tour of Poland and finishing fifth in the Championship of Flanders.
In 2007, Weylandt won further victories. In March, he won a stage of the Three Days of West Flanders, which he finished second overall, 5 seconds behind Jimmy Casper
. Two weeks later, he won the Tour of Groene Hart, then finished fourth in the Grand Prix de l'Escaut. On good form, he won three more stage wins during the rest of the season in the Tour of Belgium, the Ster Elektrotoer and the Eneco Tour. Finally, during the Tour of Poland, he took advantage of a good performance with his team in the team time trial of the 1st stage to take the leader's yellow jersey for a day.
2008 began just as well for Weylandt. He won the sprint in Nokere Koerse, and finished second in the Tour of the Groene Hart, defeated by Tomas Vaitkus
. In April came one of the best performances of his career on the one-day races, finishing third in the classic Gent-Wevelgem
behind Oscar Freire
and Aurelien Clerc
after a fierce sprint. Late in the 2008 season, Weylandt took part in the Tour of Spain, his first grand tour. He participated as lead-out rider for team leader Tom Boonen
, but when he dropped out Weylandt seized his chance and won the 17th stage in Valladolid
. Building on the momentum of this victory, he took his fourth win of the season on the Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden two weeks later.
Following the death of his friend Frederiek Nolf
at the Tour of Qatar
in February 2009, Weylandt won two more victories early in the season. He won the Memorial José Samyn
race after a breakaway with Remi Cusin, and four days later, he won another stage of the Three Days of West Flanders. He finished eleventh in Paris-Roubaix
in April.
In the absence of satisfactory results in late 2009 and early 2010, he was publicly criticized by the Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere
. In May, he won the sprint of the third stage of the Tour of Italy. Suffering from gastroenteritis
requiring hospitalization, he left the race a few days later.
Although his contract at was not renewed, he gained a contract with another UCI ProTeam squad, the newly-formed . He was the second ranked sprinter on the squad, behind Daniele Bennati
, and was placed in the team's squad for the 2011 Giro d'Italia
as Bennati's lead-out rider. Bennati dropped out of the race line-up a few days before the start.
, Weylandt crashed while descending the Passo del Bocco, near the village of Isola di Borgonovo, suffering a fatal injury. With some 17 km of the stage remaining, riders were going downhill in the final part of the descent at an estimated speed of 70–80 km/h (43.5–49.7 mph). According to Manuel Antonio Cardoso
(a Team RadioShack
rider that was trailing Weylandt), Weylandt looked back over his left shoulder at other riders before a slight left bend. Weylandt lost control and hit the leading edge of a low concrete guard rail on the left side of the road with his foot and pedal. He was thrown to the right side of the road about 10 m (32.8 ft) away, crashing face down.
The medical chief of staff of the Giro, Dr. Tredici, was right behind the accident in a service car and reported that he ran to Weylandt less than 20 seconds after the crash but, he said on Sky News, "...he was already and clearly dead upon impact. I had never seen such a thing before, such a sudden death." Tredici also reported about the very severe trauma Weylandt's contact with the wall had caused him: had Weylandt survived, injuries to his left foot and lower leg would likely have necessitated their amputation. The Giro d'Italia medical team and Garmin's team doctor performed resuscitation attempts for around 45 minutes, drying Weylandt's lungs, infusing liquids to counteract his large blood loss, and administering adrenaline and atropine
to support and restart his heart beat and respiration. Meanwhile, an emergency team was rushing to the incident by helicopter. Upon their arrival, Weylandt was declared dead at the scene due to facial and basal skull fractures, as his injuries were too severe to allow resuscitation. It was determined that his heart had stopped immediately upon impact. Forensic exams the next day found extensive internal organ damage. This autopsy confirmed that the cyclist was "dead on the spot and did not suffer." Weylandt was wearing a helmet, as all professional road cyclists have been obliged to do since May 2003.
Weylandt is the fourth rider to die in the history of the Giro d'Italia
.
Weylandt is survived by his girlfriend, An-Sophie, who, at the time of the crash, was five months pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Alizée, was born on 1 September.
band performed "Taps
" at the beginning of the stage, while supporters held up condolence messages and replicas of Weylandt's race number, 108
, as a token of respect along the route. Church bells tolled in mourning all along the stage. Leopard Trek
team was allowed to cross the finish line first, along with Weylandt's training partner Tyler Farrar
, riding for Garmin-Cervélo, who linked arms as they finished the race. Farrar withdrew completely from the race at the finish of the stage and the next day the whole Leopard Trek team also announced their withdrawal. Weylandt's race number 108 has been retired from use in the Giro. On 4 July 2011, Farrar formed a two-handed W as he crossed the line to win the third stage of the Tour de France
, again as a tribute to Weylandt.
Belgians
Belgians are people originating from the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe.-Etymology:Belgians are a relatively "new" people...
professional 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...
for UCI ProTeam and later for . His first major win was the 17th stage of the 2008 Vuelta a España
2008 Vuelta a España
The 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later...
. He also won the 3rd stage of the 2010 Giro d'Italia
2010 Giro d'Italia
The 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country...
. He died in a crash during the 3rd stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia
2011 Giro d'Italia
The 2011 Giro d'Italia was the 94th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started on 7 May with a team time trial in Turin to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification, when the city served as the first capital of the single state.The route was...
.
Career
In September 2004, Wouter Weylandt became a member of the team , participating in the Memorial Rik Van SteenbergenMemorial Rik Van Steenbergen
Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Aartselaar, Belgium. The race, paying respect the famous Belgian rider of the 40's and 50's, quickly gained importance and since 2005, it is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
, Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
Grote Prijs Jef Scherens is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after the seven-time professional sprint world champion Jef Scherens.-Winners:...
and Circuit Franco-Belge
Circuit Franco-Belge
The Tour de Wallonie-Picarde is a stage race cycling race held annually in Belgium and France. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour- Winners :...
, where he took twelfth place. He was part of the Belgian team in the under-23 category at the 2005 UCI Road World Championships
2005 UCI Road World Championships
The 2005 UCI Road World Championships took place in Madrid, Spain, between September 19 and September 25, 2005. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women and men under 23.The Men's road race saw Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen winning....
.
Weylandt turned professional for in 2005, but this first professional season was marred by mononucleosis
Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis , is a disease most commonly caused by the Epstein-Barr virus . The EBV virus affects the lymphocytes- white blood cells that battle infections by attacking antibodies. Mononucleosis can also be caused by Cytomegalovirus , a herpes virus most commonly found in body fluids...
detected at the beginning of the year. Towards the end of the season, he won the GP Briek Schotte, and finished fifth at the Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen event and the National Award, demonstrating his excellent sprinting qualities.
In 2006, his first full season, he finished fifth in the Three Days of West Flanders, then second in the Nokere Koerse, where he won the bunch sprint behind Bert Roesems
Bert Roesems
Bert Roesems was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.-Palmares:1996Bert Roesems was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.-Palmares:1996...
. During this season, he failed to achieve any victories, apart from the small GP Vichte, but showed great consistency in the sprint, in particular, winning the points classification of the Tour of Poland and finishing fifth in the Championship of Flanders.
In 2007, Weylandt won further victories. In March, he won a stage of the Three Days of West Flanders, which he finished second overall, 5 seconds behind Jimmy Casper
Jimmy Casper
thumb|leftJimmy Casper is a French professional road bicycle racer for the UCI Professional Continental team Saur-Sojasun....
. Two weeks later, he won the Tour of Groene Hart, then finished fourth in the Grand Prix de l'Escaut. On good form, he won three more stage wins during the rest of the season in the Tour of Belgium, the Ster Elektrotoer and the Eneco Tour. Finally, during the Tour of Poland, he took advantage of a good performance with his team in the team time trial of the 1st stage to take the leader's yellow jersey for a day.
2008 began just as well for Weylandt. He won the sprint in Nokere Koerse, and finished second in the Tour of the Groene Hart, defeated by Tomas Vaitkus
Tomas Vaitkus
Tomas Vaitkus is a Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team .Vaitkus, nicknamed Tomas the Tank Engine, made his Tour de France debut in the 2007 edition but had to abandon after a serious crash at the end of stage two. announced that he would be joining the team in 2010....
. In April came one of the best performances of his career on the one-day races, finishing third in the classic Gent-Wevelgem
Gent-Wevelgem
The Gent–Wevelgem is a Flanders Classics cycle road race held in Belgium in early April each year. The event was first run in 1934, and it is often called the sprinters' classic due to its flat finishing terrain. Its early-season date means riders are often tested by wind and rain...
behind Oscar Freire
Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
and Aurelien Clerc
Aurélien Clerc
Aurélien Clerc is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI ProTour team . He retired from pro cycling after 2009, unable to find a new team, and started a new career as an insurance adviser....
after a fierce sprint. Late in the 2008 season, Weylandt took part in the Tour of Spain, his first grand tour. He participated as lead-out rider for team leader Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
, but when he dropped out Weylandt seized his chance and won the 17th stage in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
. Building on the momentum of this victory, he took his fourth win of the season on the Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden two weeks later.
Following the death of his friend Frederiek Nolf
Frederiek Nolf
Frederiek Nolf was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer, who died in Doha in his sleep of an apparent heart attack between stages 4 and 5 of the 2009 Tour of Qatar. Nolf was born in Kortrijk. He was friend of cyclist Wouter Weylandt, who died two years after Nolf, in a racing accident in May...
at the Tour of Qatar
Tour of Qatar
The Tour of Qatar is a road bicycle race race held in Qatar and is part of the UCI Asia Tour. The race consists of a men's competition over six stages...
in February 2009, Weylandt won two more victories early in the season. He won the Memorial José Samyn
Le Samyn
Memorial José Samyn is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in March in Fayt-le-Franc, Belgium, starting in Frameries and finishing in Dour. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
race after a breakaway with Remi Cusin, and four days later, he won another stage of the Three Days of West Flanders. He finished eleventh in Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Since its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix ; since 1968 the start city is Compiègne , whilst the finish is still in Roubaix...
in April.
In the absence of satisfactory results in late 2009 and early 2010, he was publicly criticized by the Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere
Patrick Lefévère
Patrick Lefevere is the Belgian cycling team manager of the Quick Step-Innergetic cycling team. He is from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of the north. He was a professional racer from 1976 to 1979, winning Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne and the fourth stage in the Vuelta a España, both in 1978...
. In May, he won the sprint of the third stage of the Tour of Italy. Suffering from gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
requiring hospitalization, he left the race a few days later.
Although his contract at was not renewed, he gained a contract with another UCI ProTeam squad, the newly-formed . He was the second ranked sprinter on the squad, behind Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati
Daniele Bennati is an Italian road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini’s leadout train...
, and was placed in the team's squad for the 2011 Giro d'Italia
2011 Giro d'Italia
The 2011 Giro d'Italia was the 94th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started on 7 May with a team time trial in Turin to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification, when the city served as the first capital of the single state.The route was...
as Bennati's lead-out rider. Bennati dropped out of the race line-up a few days before the start.
Death
In stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia2011 Giro d'Italia
The 2011 Giro d'Italia was the 94th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started on 7 May with a team time trial in Turin to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification, when the city served as the first capital of the single state.The route was...
, Weylandt crashed while descending the Passo del Bocco, near the village of Isola di Borgonovo, suffering a fatal injury. With some 17 km of the stage remaining, riders were going downhill in the final part of the descent at an estimated speed of 70–80 km/h (43.5–49.7 mph). According to Manuel Antonio Cardoso
Manuel Antonio Cardoso
Manuel Antonio Cardoso is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer for . He made his Grand Tour debut in the 2010 Tour de France, but had to pull out after the Prologue due to injuries sustained in a crash....
(a Team RadioShack
Team RadioShack
Team RadioShack is a professional road bicycle racing team, with RadioShack as the title sponsor, the creation of which was announced on July 23, 2009. Lance Armstrong co-owns and leads the team, which plans to race in the Grand Tours and the UCI ProTour, as well as running and triathlon events...
rider that was trailing Weylandt), Weylandt looked back over his left shoulder at other riders before a slight left bend. Weylandt lost control and hit the leading edge of a low concrete guard rail on the left side of the road with his foot and pedal. He was thrown to the right side of the road about 10 m (32.8 ft) away, crashing face down.
The medical chief of staff of the Giro, Dr. Tredici, was right behind the accident in a service car and reported that he ran to Weylandt less than 20 seconds after the crash but, he said on Sky News, "...he was already and clearly dead upon impact. I had never seen such a thing before, such a sudden death." Tredici also reported about the very severe trauma Weylandt's contact with the wall had caused him: had Weylandt survived, injuries to his left foot and lower leg would likely have necessitated their amputation. The Giro d'Italia medical team and Garmin's team doctor performed resuscitation attempts for around 45 minutes, drying Weylandt's lungs, infusing liquids to counteract his large blood loss, and administering adrenaline and atropine
Atropine
Atropine is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid extracted from deadly nightshade , Jimson weed , mandrake and other plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a secondary metabolite of these plants and serves as a drug with a wide variety of effects...
to support and restart his heart beat and respiration. Meanwhile, an emergency team was rushing to the incident by helicopter. Upon their arrival, Weylandt was declared dead at the scene due to facial and basal skull fractures, as his injuries were too severe to allow resuscitation. It was determined that his heart had stopped immediately upon impact. Forensic exams the next day found extensive internal organ damage. This autopsy confirmed that the cyclist was "dead on the spot and did not suffer." Weylandt was wearing a helmet, as all professional road cyclists have been obliged to do since May 2003.
Weylandt is the fourth rider to die in the history of 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...
.
Weylandt is survived by his girlfriend, An-Sophie, who, at the time of the crash, was five months pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Alizée, was born on 1 September.
Tributes
In tribute to Weylandt, the following day's stage of the race was neutralized, with teams taking turns to ride in front, and all riders wearing black armbands. A BersaglieriBersaglieri
The Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
band performed "Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
" at the beginning of the stage, while supporters held up condolence messages and replicas of Weylandt's race number, 108
108 (number)
108 is the natural number following 107 and preceding 109.- In mathematics :One hundred [and] eight is an abundant number and a semiperfect number...
, as a token of respect along the route. Church bells tolled in mourning all along the stage. Leopard Trek
Leopard Trek
Leopard Trek is a professional road bicycle racing team licensed in Luxembourg and led by the brothers Andy Schleck and Fränk Schleck, with Brian Nygaard and Kim Andersen as team managers. The Schleck brothers were under contract with the Danish team Saxo Bank managed by Bjarne Riis through the end...
team was allowed to cross the finish line first, along with Weylandt's training partner Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar
Tyler Farrar is an American professional road racing cyclist since 2003.-Cycling career:Farrar started racing at 13, and rode for in 2003, in 2004, and in 2006 and 2007. In April 2006 he crashed near the finish of the Circuit de la Sarthe and broke his collarbone and missed most of the season...
, riding for Garmin-Cervélo, who linked arms as they finished the race. Farrar withdrew completely from the race at the finish of the stage and the next day the whole Leopard Trek team also announced their withdrawal. Weylandt's race number 108 has been retired from use in the Giro. On 4 July 2011, Farrar formed a two-handed W as he crossed the line to win the third stage of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, again as a tribute to Weylandt.
Palmarès
- 2006
- Points classification, Tour de PologneTour de PologneThe Tour de Pologne is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928. Until 1952 the race was held sporadically, but since then it has been an annual race...
- Points classification, Tour de Pologne
- 2007
- Driedaagse van West-VlaanderenDriedaagse van West-VlaanderenThe Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen is a stage race cycling race held annually in the West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2006 the race has been organized as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.Between 1945 and 1998 it was known a Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen...
, 1 stage (2nd in GC) - Ronde van het Groene HartRonde van het Groene HartThe Ronde van het Groene Hart is a road bicycle race held in Groene Hart, Netherlands. The first edition of the race, in 2007, was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The 203 km race started in Leiden and finished in Woerden, passing through Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht.-...
- Ronde van België, 1 stage
- Ster ElektrotoerSter ElektrotoerThe Ster ZLM Toer is a stage race cycling race, held in the Netherlands as 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race started in 1987 as an amateur race, and became a race for professional cyclists in 1996.-Name of the race:...
, 1 stage - Eneco Tour, 1 stage
- Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
- 2008
- Nokere Koerse
- 3rd, Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st, Stage 17, Vuelta a España2008 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later...
- Omloop van de Vlaamse ScheldeboordenOmloop van de Vlaamse ScheldeboordenOmloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in the municipality of Kruibeke, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
– Kruibeke
- 2009
- Le SamynLe SamynMemorial José Samyn is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in March in Fayt-le-Franc, Belgium, starting in Frameries and finishing in Dour. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- Driedaagse van West-VlaanderenDriedaagse van West-VlaanderenThe Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen is a stage race cycling race held annually in the West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2006 the race has been organized as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.Between 1945 and 1998 it was known a Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen...
, 1 stage
- Le Samyn
- 2010
- 1st, Stage 3, Giro d'Italia2010 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2010 Giro d'Italia was the 93rd edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Amsterdam on 8 May and stayed in the Netherlands for three stages, before leaving the country...
- 1st, Stage 4, Circuit Franco-BelgeCircuit Franco-BelgeThe Tour de Wallonie-Picarde is a stage race cycling race held annually in Belgium and France. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour- Winners :...
- 1st, Stage 3, Giro d'Italia
External links
- www.wouterweylandt.be — Official Web site (Dutch)