Dimitri De Fauw (13 July 1981 – 6 November 2009) was a Belgian professional road and track bicycle racer. He was born in Ghent. De Fauw competed on both the road and track but is best known for his crash during the 2006 Six Days of Ghent.
 Dimitri De Fauw (right) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Dimitri De Fauw |
| Born | 13 July 1981 Ghent, Belgium |
| Died | 6 November 2009 (aged 28) Belgium |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road and track |
| Role | Rider |
| Professional teams | |
| 2004–2005 | Quick-Step–Davitamon |
| 2006–2007 | Chocolade Jacques–Topsport Vlaanderen |
| 2008 | Josan Mercedes-Benz Aalst Cycling Team |
On 26 November, De Fauw collided with Spanish cyclist Isaac Gálvez during the madison portion of the Six Days of Ghent cycling event in Belgium. Both riders fell, though Gálvez crashed into the track's upper railing and was knocked unconscious. While medics resuscitated him at the scene, the Spaniard died of his injuries en route to hospital.[1]
Despite continuing to race as a professional, De Fauw suffered from ongoing depression in the aftermath of Gálvez's death and was haunted by the accident. In an interview the following month, the 25-year-old De Fauw said, "I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. Only time can heal my wounds."[2]
De Fauw committed suicide on 6 November 2009 in Belgium, shortly after competing in the Six Days of Grenoble.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ "Spanish sprinter, Isaac Gálvez crashes hard at Gent Six Day, dies on way to hospital". Cyclingnews.com. 26 November 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- ^ Stokes 2006-12-01T00:00:00Z, Shane. "De Fauw speaks about Gálvez". cyclingnews.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "PezCycling News – What's Cool in Road Cycling". PezCycling News.
- ^ "Six-day rider takes his life". Cyclingnews. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
External links
edit- Official website (Dutch) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-07-04)