AG2R stagiaire dies in hiking accident

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Etienne Fabre, a 20-year-old stagiaire with the AG2R La Mondiale, died Saturday in a fall while hiking in the Bauges Mountains of France, according to a report published Sunday in Le Equipe. Fabre's former club, VC Rodez, first announced the news on Facebook.

"The VCR is in mourning," the club wrote in its Facebook page. "The young Etienne Fabre died yesterday at the age of 20 years following a mountain accident during a hike in the Bauges massif. Etienne discovered cycling at the VCR at the age of 11. In 2015 he left to join the Chambéry Cycling team. The VCR is a close family, and we are with Cecile, Yves and Louis in this terrible news."

Fabre won the Tour du Charolais and the Circuit des Quatre Cantons this season with French amateur team Chambery CF before moving to AG2R as a trainee in August, five days before his 20th birthday He raced the Brussells Cycling Classic, GP de Fourmies and Paris-Tours with AG2R, as well as Tour de Vendee and Tour du Poitu Charentes.

Reaction from the French WorldTour team and French riders followed quickly on social media.

“Great sadness this morning on hearing the death of Etienne Fabre,” AG2R La Mondiale posted on Twitter. “The team shares the pain of his family and friends.” 

Thibaut Pinot also noted Fabre's passing on Twitter, writing "All my thoughts to the family of Etienne."

Romain Bardet paid tribute on social media with a posting on Twitter. "Etienne, promising rider, determined student. Infinite sadness to see this fate broken. Tribute."

Fabre's death comes just a month after his father, Yves, was paralysed in a cycling crash.