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Frank Vandenbroucke in 2004

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Pathologist finds double blood clot in lung led to death Monday

Frank Vandenbroucke died in Senegal of natural causes, according to an autopsy conducted by the country's pathologist.

Staff at a seaside Hotel Maison Bleue in Saly (70 kilometres south of Dakar) found the Belgian cyclist dead Monday. Vandenbroucke, 34, travelled to Senegal on Sunday for vacation with a cyclist friend, Fabio Polazzi.

The Segalese pathologist confirmed the findings of the first doctor, death from a pulmonary embolism. "To be more precise: a double pulmonary embolism plus an existing heart condition," Thies prosecutor Salobe Ngingie told L'Equipe.

Senegalese police arrested three persons Tuesday in Thies for stealing Vandenbroucke's money (300€), a watch and the two telephones. One person was Seynabou Diop, the prostitute who spent the night with Vandenbroucke, her pimp and the taxi driver that drove her to meet Vandenbroucke Sunday.

Diop left Vandenbroucke's room at 2:00, according to the hotel staff. She will unlikely face murder charges due to the doctor's findings, according to L'Equipe.

"The autopsy showed several injections marks in his left arm," said Ngingie. Police found a syringe, drugs and alcohol in Vandenbroucke's hotel room.

Police will send Vandenbroucke's body in the coming days to Belgium. The Funeral has yet to be scheduled.

Vandenbroucke turned professional in 1994. He won Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Nice, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Omloop Het Volk.

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