Tributes have been made after the death of Spanish junior rider Iván Meléndez Luque, following a crash on the second stage of the Vuelta Ribera de Duero.
The 17-year-old passed away from his injuries after being involved in an incident along with around 20 other riders as the race approached the small village of El Amogable in Soria. Attempts were made to revive Meléndez Luque at the scene and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to reports. His death was confirmed on Saturday evening.
The stage was immediately suspended and the following day’s racing also cancelled following the incident. A short memorial was held on Sunday at the planned stage finish in Aranda.
Meléndez Luque was from the town of Colmenar near Málaga. He raced for the Tenerife-Cabberty team and was a late replacement for the Vuelta Ribera de Duero following an injury to one of his team-mates. Local reports say that two other riders were taken to hospital from the impact of the crash.
Race organisers released a statement on X at the time saying: “The @VueltaRibera suspends all activities due to the passing of a rider.”
“We send all our love and support to the family, friends, and teammates of the athlete. Tomorrow, at 10:30 AM, we will gather in the Plaza de la Hispanidad in Aranda to pay tribute to them.”
“The entire team is devastated by the news,” said a statement from the Tenerife-Cabberty team.
“We appreciate all the support and affection we are receiving from all levels of cycling on such a difficult day. Our thoughts are with Iván’s family, friends and loved ones at this terrible time.”
A minute’s silence was observed at the start of the second stage of La Vuelta a España in Alba on Sunday.
President of the UCI, David Lappartient added his condolences in a short statement on X: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Iván Meléndez Luque, who tragically lost his life today during the @VueltaRibera in Spain.”
“My thoughts are with his loved ones and with all who are mourning his loss within the cycling community.”
Meléndez Luque’s passing is the third such incident in a European UCI race in the past 12 months; following the deaths of Swiss junior Muriel Furrer at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zürich last September and more recently Hagens Berman-Jayco rider Samuel Privitera, who died after a crash on the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta last month.
Everyone at Cyclingnews would like to extend their deepest condolences to Iván Meléndez Luque's family, friends and teammates.
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