Man, not a good way to go. Pretty dangerous sport when you think about it.


MILAN (AP) Hurtling down an Italian mountain pass at a speed that only a car would normally reach, Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt lost control of his bike for just a split second. In a sport where the smallest mistake can have catastrophic consequences, it proved lethal.

Weylandt tumbled to his death Monday in a downhill crash during the third stage of the Giro d'Italia, with the riders going 40 mph to 50 mph at the time. It was the first fatality at the Italian race in 25 years and the first at one of the sport's showcase tours in 16 years.

It was one of the most high-profile deaths at an international sports event since Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili's fatal crash in training on the eve of last year's Vancouver Olympics. It also renewed questions about safety in cycling, where riders zip down winding mountain roads with steep drops and hairpin curves.

"Our sport is very tragic at times. It has been throughout its history," said British rider David Millar, who took the pink jersey as race leader after Monday's stage but said it now meant "nothing."

"The bottom line is that the guys here are the best cyclists in the world, and the best guys in the world can have a mechanical fault or find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time," Millar said.

The crash on the Passo del Bocco was not broadcast live on television, but images showed paramedics frantically trying to revive Weylandt, who was sprawled on his back on the road, bleeding heavily from the face and head.

Portuguese rider Manuel Cardoso, who saw the accident, said Weylandt lost control after slamming into a wall on the side of the road during the descent about 12 miles from the finish in Rapallo in northern Italy.

"Wouter was dropped and tried to come back to the group," Cardoso said. "(Weylandt) then looked behind to see if it would be better to wait for other dropped riders. While looking behind, he hit his left pedal or the left side of his handlebars on a small wall and was catapulted to the other side of the road when he again hit something. It must have been terrible."

Weylandt's Leopard-Trek teammate Tom Stamsnijder also witnessed the crash.

"It was a very hard fall," he said.

Medics who were following the cyclists in cars rushed to the scene, but it was already too late.

"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."

Weylandt's body was covered by a sheet and taken away by ambulance about an hour after the accident. Local investigators immediately opened an inquiry. Weylandt's body was taken to a nearby hospital for an autopsy.

Weylandt's father and the cyclist's pregnant girlfriend were en route to Italy and were to be met at Malpensa airport in Milan.

"I feel obliged to share with you a text message I received today, reminding me that this is a sport where everybody applauds the riders, but that they all risk their lives in every single meter of the course," race director Angelo Zomegnan said.

The crash came almost exactly a year after one of the biggest victories of Weylandt's career - the third stage of the 2010 Giro on May 10 as it passed through the Netherlands. His other main tour stage victory came in the 2008 Spanish Vuelta when he won the 17th stage.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Let me know if this happens to Lance Armstrong.

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Poor man of few opinions today. He must be heart broken.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Lance Armstrong doesn't have the balls to try something like that.

Litterally...

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This is tragic. This sport is too dangerous and should be banned worldwide.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Yeah I am guessing a concussion had something to do with it

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

The sallies should use training wheels if they are worried about falling off their little bikes

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Probably. The worst part for this guy is that he died playing a fake sport.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This would never happen on a golf course.

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Mention the greatness of Dave Brown as QB of the Ny Giants and you've got something there Boyd.

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"Our sport is very tragic at times. It has been throughout its history," said British rider David Millar, who took the pink jersey as race leader after Monday's stage but said it now meant "nothing."

This is tragic. Their first place trophy is a pink jersey.

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Wow a Dave Brown reference. I would have expected Hostetler or even the bachelor.....fun Dave Brown fact (but aren't they all)....

After his career in football Dave, went on to join Lehman Brothers in 2008, where he served as a Senior Vice President of Lehman’s Private Fund Marketing Group. Prior to Lehman Brothers, Dave was a Director of New York Life Investment Management. He is currently a Principal in Greenhill’s Private Capital Advisory Group.

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