Remembering Wouter Weylandt #WW108

On the day of Stage 3 of Il Giro, let's remember Wouter Weylandt. Four years ago, during Stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia (a more entertaining version of the Tour de France), the cycling community lost a great man.

Wouter was born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1984 and joined the professional peloton as a 20 year-old with the Quick-Step team, where he remained until the inception of Leopard-Trek in 2011. He had been a stage winner in the Vuelta a España, as well as a podium finisher in Gent-Wevelgem. Other victories included a stage in the Eneco Tour, Nokere Koerse, Le Samyn, and two stages of Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, including a 2nd in GC in 2007 all due to his strong sprinting skills. In fact, the 2010 edition of Il Giro had Wouter win Stage 3. All in all, Wouter was a good guy and a hard worker and was well liked by the entire peloton.

On May 9th, 2011, during Stage 3 of Il Giro, Wouter was descending the Passo del Bocco, a mountain pass in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. Riders were going possibly 80 km/hr on the descent, and when Wouter looked over his shoulder on a turn, he lost control and crashed badly. The medical car was right behind him, but it appeared that he had died on impact, sadly. They tried for 45 minutes to resuscitate him, but to no avail. There was a memorial set up at the spot where Wouter crashed, by locals and family, and other cyclists.

The stage continued, as the leaders did not hear of the news until after the finish. Many were shocked, and David Millar, the new race leader, discussed with Wouter's teammates at Leopard-Trek about what to do about the next stage. As such, the next stage was neutralized. There was a moment of silence at the beginning of the stage, and the peloton proceeded to ride slowly through the stage as each of the 23 teams led the peloton for about 15 minutes. At the end, the Leopard-Trek team was given the opportunity to cross the line in front of the peloton to pay tribute to Wouter. In another great human act, the team welcomed up American cyclist Tyler Farrar, who was the best friend and training partner of Wouter. After the stage, the jersey wearers appeared on-stage with Leopard-Trek to lead in another moment of silence. All of the prizes of the day were donated to a fund in Wouter's name.

Immediately after stage 4, Tyler Farrar, along with the entire Leopard-Trek team, abandoned the race. In addition, race organizers declined to issue the 108 bib number ever again in Wouter's memory. Wouter is survived by his girlfriend, An-Sophie, and a daughter, Alizée, who was born after his death. He is also in the memories of his close friends, teammates, and even those in the peloton who did not know him too well. Pieter Weening, the race leader after stage 5, gave his pink jersey to Wouter's family. And the stage 11 winner, John Gadret, dedicated his win the Wouter, even though they were not well-acquainted. On May 9th, 2013, Mark Cavendish, the winner of Stage 6 of that year's Giro, held Wouter's 108 bib number on the podium for remembrance. Wouter's teammate, Daniele Bennati, won Stage 18 of the 2012 Vuelta a España, and immediately dedicated his win to Wouter. And finally, Tyler Farrar was able to win Stage 3 of the 2011 Tour de France. As he crossed the line, he held up his two hands to make a "W" for Wouter. He will always be remembered. #WW108.

UPDATE: Today, Domenico Pozzovivo also was involved in a serious crash on a highspeed descent. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is in serious, but stable condition. He is conscious and moving. Obviously, he has abandoned the race, and the team's GC hopes now lie within the erratic Carlos Betancur. Stay tuned.