Cyclist Wouter Weylandt died in a crash while racing in the Giro d'Italia on Monday.
The 26-year-old Belgian crashed on the descent from the Passo del Bocco on Stage Three from Reggio Emilia to Rapallo near Genoa.
Television footage showed the Leopard-Trek rider lying on the ground and bleeding heavily. Doctors were seen cutting Weylandt's helmet before administering CPR treatment and shots of adrenaline.
After 25 minutes he was taken by helicopter to hospital where he was declared dead.
Weylandt, a rider for Luxembourg's Leopard Trek team, had won Stage Three of the Giro d'Italia in 2010.
The last professional cyclist to die during a race was Italy's Thomas Cassorotto, who crashed into an SUV during last year's Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia.
At this time, there is no word on whether the Giro d'Italia will be run in full in the wake of Weylandt's death, but race organizers did cancel a presentation for the Stage Three victor and overall race leader.
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