We lost a Great Rider
courtesy of Cyclingnews.com
Cycling News flash for November 26, 2006
Updated 1500 CET, November 26, 2006
Isaac Galvez dies at Gent Six-day
By Laura Weislo
Isaac Galvez
Photo ©: Luc Claessen
|
31 year old world champion Isaac Galvez has died as a result of a crash
in the Gent six-day. During the final madison of the fifth
night, the Spaniard collided with Dimitri DeFauw and flew into a rail,
falling immediately unconscious. The medics were at his side in an instant
and resuscitated him on the track, but he died en route to the hospital.
The fifth night of the Gent six-day had held another packed house, and
many of the spectators, who up until moments before had been having the
time of their lives, were now in shock. One of the organisers had to be
taken to the hospital with chest pains. An emotional Rob Discart, promoter
of the event, declared that this edition of the Gent six-day is now over,
"out of respect of Galvez, his family and the other riders".
Isaac Galvez was twice world champion on the track, first in 1999
and most recently in April
of this year, both times winning the Madison with partner Juan Llaneras.
The pair also earned silver medals in the Madison at the 2000 and 2001
world championships. Galvez went pro on the road in 2000, joining Kelme-Costa
Blanca, and had his first professional road win that year in the Classica
del Almeria.
In 2003 he rode the Giro d'Italia, and was infamously was involved in
the stage
11 crash that took Mario Cipollini out of the race. For the 2004 season,
he moved to Illes Balears-Banesto where he won stages in the Volta a Cataluna
and Setmana Catalana, and was second to Alessandro Petacchi in the 2005
Trofeo Luis Puig.
Isaac Galvez began 2006 with back-to-back
wins
Photo ©: AFP
|
The 2006 season started off well for Galvez, and he took the first
two
stages of the Challenge Illes Balears in Mallorca. After winning the world
championship on the track, he went back to the road, and won the final
stage of the Four days of Dunkirk. He started this year's Tour de
France, where he worked for Alejandro Valverde as well as challenging
for the bunch sprints. He came closest to a grand tour stage win in the
fouth
stage of the 2006 Tour when he finished second to Robbie McEwen. He
abandoned the tour on stage
12.
Galvez was a quiet man from Barcelona who had just gotten married several
weeks ago. Eddy Merckx said that he spoke with the world champion just
this Wednesday, "I was in the Kuipke on Wednesday and had a short
conversation with the world champion. To learn in the morning that this
boy died comes very hard.. A rider can fall ten times without a lot happening...
This must be very hard on his family and friends."
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by
Emory Ball/Cyclingnews.com
Images by
Luc Claessen/www.ctm-images.com
Images by
AFP
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