The Giro will never forget: The tragic death and career of Wouter Weylandt

Cycling can bring beauty to riders and fans around the world, but sometimes tragedy strikes and leaves a deep mark on the sport. Such was the case with Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt, who excelled on the big stage before tragically passing away on his bike. This is Weylandt's story. All career info is sourced from Pro Cyling Stats and Cycling Archives.

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Weylandt was born on 27 September 1984 in Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Belgium. He made his pro debut in 2005 at Quickstep-Innergetic, after having spent some time with the team as a trainee.

Weylandt demonstrated his good sprinting qualities, which enabled him to win the GP Briek Schotte (2005), the points classification in the Tour of Poland (2006), and stages in the Eneco Tour, the Tour of Belgium and the Three Days of West Flanders (2007), among other victories.

In 2008, he kept making a name for himself, winning the semi classic Nokere-Koerse. In April of that same year, he impressed in Gent-Wevelgem, finishing third.

It was the prelude for one of Weylandt's highlights of his career: a stage win in the 2008 Vuelta a España, the first Grand Tour of his career. The future looked very bright for Weylandt.

In 2009, he won the Memorial Samyn, took another stage in the Three Days of West Flanders, and came in second in a stage of the Vuelta. However, this did not stop team manager Patrick Lefevere from criticising Weylandt's performances.

"He won Nokere Koerse once, had a [good] ride in the Three Days of West Flanders and one in the Vuelta Espana. But then: nothing, except his mouth," Lefevere told Belgian outlet P Magazine in 2010.

Weylandt responded accordingly with his pedals and proved his manager wrong in the 2010 Giro d'Italia by winning the third stage, with a finish in the Dutch city of Middelburg.

"I'm very happy to win here today," the Belgian reacted after his win, per Cyclingnews. "This confirms my performance at the Vuelta two years ago." Weylandt would end the 2010 season on a high, with a stage win in the Circuit Franco Belge.

After the 2010 season, his contract at Quickstep-Innergetic expired, and he left to find another team. It was Leopard Trek who gave Weylandt a chance and signed the fast Belgian.

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After teammate Daniele Bennati broke his collarbone in 2011, Weylandt came to the 2011 Giro as his team's main sprinter and had to chase stage wins. However, things did not go as planned...

In the third stage of La Corsa Rosa, things went horribly wrong for Weylandt, who crashed in the descent of the Passo del Bocco after hitting a wall with his pedal, as Belgian sports outlet Sporza reported at the time.

Race medical staff tried to resuscitate Weylandt, but were unable to save him. "He died from a fracture to the front of his skull," Giro doctor Giovanni Tredici told the press at the time, per Velo.

The cycling world was shocked and in tears. In honour of Weylandt, who was wearing number 108 during the fateful race, the Giro organisers decided to retire it, per Sporza.

Weylandt's funeral service took place on 18 May 2011 in the Belgian city of Ghent, per Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. Many professional cyclists were present to say goodbye to their colleague and - for many - friend. Weylandt was only 26 years old and was to become a father in September 2011 for the first time.

Belgium, the Giro and the whole cycling world will always remember Weylandt as the great rider and personality he was.

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