Cycling was left mourning a second death in successive days on Tuesday (local time) after it was confirmed that Daan Myngheer, a 22-year-old Belgian with UCI Continental outfit Roubaix Lille Metropole, had succumbed to the heart attack he suffered after abandoning the first stage of the Criterium International in Corsica last Saturday.
Daan Myngheer reportedly suffered a heart problem during an amateur race in 2014, but tests afterwards found no cardiac anomalies. Photo: Facebook
The sport was still in shock following the death of Antoine Demoitié, a 25-year-old Belgian who was struck by a motorbike following a crash at Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday.
Myngheer had abandoned the opening leg of the three-stage race in Corsica after feeling unwell. After suffering a heart attack while in an ambulance, Myngheer was transferred by helicopter to hospital in Ajaccio, where he was put on life support before being placed into an induced coma. He died on Monday evening, surrounded by his family.
His team said in a statement that he had "fought like a champion".
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Myngheer also reportedly suffered a heart problem during an amateur race in 2014, but tests afterwards found no cardiac anomalies. During the winter he underwent tests in Belgium and France required to obtain a racing licence.
Demoitié's death brought fresh reaction yesterday with former professional David Millar among those to call for a full investigation, the Briton adding that it was difficult to pinpoint the common factor in the recent spate of incidents involving motorbikes since they did not all appear to have been followed by comprehensive reports.
"I think everybody's already said 'Well it's a problem', the thing is until there's an investigation into each one of these incidents and we have conclusions from each one it's very difficult to know what needs to be changed," Millar told Cycling Weekly.
"They're all happening in different situations, different points in races, and different countries and I'm sure if it was any other walk of life, [there would be] an investigation afterwards to work out what happened, and yet each of these incidents we've had we've never had any conclusion or wrap-up of what happened."
There have been calls in recent days for revisions to the UCI's rules regarding in-race vehicles, with some of the biggest names in the sport imploring the governing body to learn from the recent incidents.
There were a few near misses on the 123.2-mile first stage of the Three Days of De Panne in Belgium yesterday, however, with one BMC rider seen remonstrating with a car he felt had passed too close.
Alexander Kristoff, riding for Katusha, won the day with Sky's Luke Rowe fifth after having to chase back from an ill-timed puncture. Rowe had made a late four-man breakaway with Kristoff and Astana's Alexey Lutsenko and Lieuwe Westra.
But the Welshman's plans were scuttled by a puncture that came just before the final ascent of the Muur van Geraardsbergen with 11 miles to go.
"Gutted," he said. "It's part of the sport. There's no one to blame, no one behind it, it could happen to any rider, in any race, at any moment. Unfortunately it was me today, but that's life. I'll crack on and hope for better luck in the future."
The Telegraph, London