Giro stage three should have been a mundane day for the peloton. A cat 3 climb summiting with about 39K to go, then descending down to a cat 4 climb with 9K to the finish. Easy day, right?
Sadly, tragedy struck on the descent of that Cat 3. Wouter Weylendt, Belgian fast man racing for Leopard Trek, crashed due to, what race officials said “his left pedal got stuck in a wall at the side of the road, forcing Weylandt to tumble around 60 meters to the ground below.)” He was attended to by race doctors, but died on the scene from the injuries sustained in the crash. It's a terribly sad event that overshadowed a great stage of racing, and will no doubt cast a pallor over the next few days of the race.
Thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to Leopard Trek, Wouter's family, and his wife and unborn child. At least you all know that he passed doing what he loved; racing his bike in the heat of competition, at the very tip top level of the sport.
It's a sick twist of fate that just a year ago tomorrow, Wouter won stage 3 of the 2010 Giro:
That's how we'll remember you. Go in peace, protect your fellow cyclists from somewhere high above.
Asato mā sad gamaya
Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
Mṛtyormā amṛtam gamaya
Aum śānti śānti śāntiḥ
From ignorance, lead me to truth;
From darkness, lead me to light;
From death, lead me to immortality
Aum peace, peace, peace
May all be good.
Everyone…be safe out there. You never know how precarious life is.
