Tragic death of popular Belgian Wouter Weylandt

Wouter Weylandt, has died following a horrific crash in the Giro d\'Italia The professional peloton reacted with shock and sympathy as the tragic death of popular Belgian Wouter Weylandt following a fatal crash on the third stage of the Giro d\'Italia began to hit home.
Weylandt was pronounced dead less than an hour after suffering fatal head injuries after crashing 20 metres to the road below while descending the Bocco mountain pass 25km from the finish line in Rapallo.

Lying bloodied and unconscious, the 26-year-old was given emergency medical treatment, including CPR. He was eventually taken to hospital by ambulance after an emergency helicopter could find no place to land.
As the peloton poured steadily over the finish line, where many were oblivious to the extent of the tragedy, his death was announced by Italian state television RAI.
Minutes later the sad news was confirmed by his Leopard-Trek team. Related article: Weylandt dies after Giro d\'Italia crash: team  
\"Today, our teammate and friend Wouter Weylandt passed away after a crash on the third stage of the Giro d?Italia,\" said Leopard-Trek Manager Brian Nygaard.
\"The team is left in a state of shock and sadness and we send all our thoughts and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wouter.\"
Weylandt\'s death is the first from a crash in the professional peloton since Kazakhstan\'s Andrei Kivilev succumbed to head injuries the morning after a crash on the second stage of Paris-Nice.
Kivilev\'s death, which occurred while racing at a seemingly innocuous pace, led directly to the mandatory wearing of helmets in competition.
But Weylandt\'s death mirrors that of Fabio Casartelli, the Italian Olympic champion from 1992 who fatally crashed on the descent of the Portet d\'Aspet in the French Pyrenees during the 15th stage of the Tour de France in 1995.

Even before Weylandt\'s death race organisers cancelled the post-race ceremony in Rapallo, where Spaniard Angel Vicioso, of the Androni team, won the stage ahead of new race leader David Millar of Britain (Garmin).
However the tragedy has cast a pall over the Giro, with much of the peloton expressing their sympathy in a series of post-race posts on Twitter.
\"Today really puts everything in perspective, such a tragedy,\" said Australian Richie Porte, who led the race briefly last year.
\"RIP Wouter and thoughts with his family, friends and team mates.\"
Retired Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong expressed his shock at the news from his base in the US.
\"Just back from a run and got the news of Wouter Weylandt\'s death today in the Giro. I\'m shocked and saddened. May he rest in peace,\" Armstrong said.
Reigning Giro champion Ivan Basso, who is not competing at the race, said: \"It\'s incredibile how much destiny could be tragic. My condolences and a hug to family and friends. Rest in peace, Wouter.\"

Cycling\'s world ruling body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), said in a statement: \"On behalf of the whole cycling family, the UCI President M. Pat McQuaid wishes to extend his deepest sympathies to all members of Weylandt?s family, all his friends and teammates, but also to all his colleagues on the Giro, who will have to overcome their grief to continue in the race.\"

Life and career-threatening crashes are a regular occurrence in cycling, however despite the dangerous nature of a sport in which riders can reach speeds close to 100km/h on mountain descents fatalities are comparatively rare.
Race director Angelo Zomegnan said he had taken every possible security measure prior to the tragedy but that they would now be beefed up.
\"Since the crash we\'ve gone to great lengths to ensure the security measures already in place are being checked and reinforced by specialist teams,\" said Zomegnan.
\"No race in the world invests so heavily in ensuring we can come to the rescue of crash victims.\"

Quick Step, with whom Weylandt spent five years of his fledgling career, were particularly stunned by the news.
\"On behalf of the entire Quick-Step Cycling team our hearts go out to Wouter\'s family, friends and the colleagues of Team Leopard, in this sad, sad time,\" the team said in a statement.
\"For all of us, Wouter was a friend before he was a colleague. We remember him as an honest man, always available with a smile on his face and forever generous towards the next guy.
\"Wouter leaves us with a terrible sense of loss and unbearable grief. We want to remember him with arms held high, crazy with joy after a victory, like the one at Middelburg last year.
\"This is the image of him that all of us will carry in our hearts forever.\"