Cycling mourns the loss of one of its talents. The Belgian Tijl De Decker has succumbed to the consequences of a serious training accident and died at the age of just 22. This was announced by the professional team Lotto-Dstny this Friday. “The team is shaken,” it said in a statement.
De Decker had an accident during training in the municipality of Lier near Antwerp on Wednesday and has been in an artificial coma ever since. De Decker “hit the back of a car violently and was taken to the hospital in Lier, where he was operated on,” a team spokeswoman had previously explained: “After that, he was transferred to the Antwerp University Hospital.” The team did not want to comment on the injuries give details.
“We are shocked”
“We are devastated by the loss. We will always remember him as a talented young rider and a warm and friendly person off the bike,” said team manager Stephane Heulot, who expressed his condolences to the family.
De Decker was one of the biggest hopes for young Belgians. This year, De Decker won the Paris-Roubaix U-23 race and finished fourth in the German classic, Frankfurt-Eschborn.
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The news of death brought back memories of the accident involving Gino Mäder. The 26-year-old Swiss died in the Tour de Suisse in June. Mäder, who had been active for the Bahrain Victorious team, went off the road on the descent towards the finish line on the fifth stage and fell into a ravine. Mäder succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.
The accident triggered a new safety debate in cycling. Adjustments were made to the Tour de France in July, with measures taken to protect riders on some downhill stages.
