The tragic death of former Olympian Isaac Gálvez López

Isaac Gálvez López was one of the best track cyclists of his generation and competed in one Olympic Games, in Sydney in 2000, without winning any silverware, according to the Olympics website.

Gálvez is a name that remains linked to an open wound in Spanish cycling. The 31-year-old enjoyed an excellent career in road and track cycling, but a brutal accident took him away from his family and friends. But what exactly happened to Gálvez? Stats, career and life info are sourced from ProCyclingStats, unless otherwise stated.

Isaac Gálvez López was born on May 20, 1975 in Vilanova i la Geltrú. He began his pro career on the road with the Spanish team Kelme-Costa Blanca in 2000 and immediately made a name for himself by winning the Clásica de Almería.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Mainly thanks to his sprinting qualities, he claimed several fine victories, such as three wins in the Trofeo Playa de Palma-Palma, and stages in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, the Critérium International and the 4 Jours de Dunkerque.

Gálvez also competed in several Grand Tours and came very close to winning a stage in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. However, it is his career on the track that really etched his name in cycling history.

Together with his partner and friend Joan Llaneras, Gálvez triumphed in the 1999 UCI Track World Championships by winning the madison event, per Spanish radio network Cadena SER.

The duo repeated their feat at the 2006 UCI Track World Championships and added a second world madison title to their haul.

The Spanish pair was at the top of the world and was going to compete in several more track events that year. One of them was the Six Days of Ghent, in Belgium, which was held in November and is "one of the premier events on the track calendar," according to Global Cycling Network.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Gálvez and Llaneras proudly appeared on the start line in their rainbow jerseys in front of an ever-enthusiastic crowd in Ghent. Little did they know that the cheers would soon be silenced by a horrible accident.

On 26 November 2006, on the fifth day of the event, with the Spanish duo in second place in the madison, Gálvez crashed heavily after his handlebars got entangled with those of Belgian colleague Dimitri De Fauw, per Belgian sports outlet Sporza.

Gálvez hit his chest hard against the railing of the track. He was instantly taken to hospital, where he had already succumbed to his injuries. He was only 31 years old and had just got married three weeks before the tragic incident, according to GRAN FONDO magazine.

The death of Gálvez strongly affected the world of cycling. According to Sporza, Joan Llaneras thought about ending his career, but went on. On his home island of Mallorca, he honoured his late friend four months later with a gold medal in the points race at the 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, weeping tears during the podium ceremony.

Dimitri De Fauw, too, was deeply affected. The Belgian rider reportedly suffered from severe depression after the death of Gálvez and took his own life on 6 November 2009, according to Sporza.

Gálvez was an exceptional track cyclist, with exceptional sprinting qualities and excellent reflexes. "Isaac had a quick reaction time like Spider-Man. He saw danger before you saw it," his sister Debora told Sporza in 2022. But even Spider-Man can get "very unlucky", as father Paco puts it. RIP 'Spider-Man' Isaac Gálvez López.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!