Deadly crash

A crash in the third stage of the Giro d'Italia claimed the life of Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt on Monday.

In the last 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the stage to Rapallo, Italy, reports suggest that Weylandt clipped his pedal on a wall next to the road, which caused him to fall off the bike and to the ground below. That part of the stage took riders down the Bocco mountain pass.

Race doctors were on the scene quickly but were unable to save 26-year-old Weylandt, who had suffered serious head injuries despite wearing a helmet.

"Wouter Weylandt was already unconscious when we arrived. We tried to resuscitate him for 40 minutes. But there was nothing we could do," Giro doctor Giovanni Tredici said in a statement on the race's website.

Weylandt rode for team Leopard-Trek, which he joined at the beginning of the season. He had previously ridden for Quick Step, a Belgian team Weylandt joined when he turned professional in 2006. In last year's Giro, Weylandt won the same third stage of the race.

Leopard-Trek's manager Brian Nygaard posted a statement to the team's website:

"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," Nygaard's post read. "This is a difficult day for cycling and for our team, and we should all seek support and strength in the people close to us."

Weylandt leaves behind a wife, who is expecting the couple's first child in September.

Author: Matt Zuvela (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Nicole Goebel