Belgian Under-23 rider Milan Bral died Sunday after he was struck by a driver of a vehicle while on a training ride in Ronse. He was taken to a hospital in Ghent, where he later died in the evening due to his injuries, according to a report by Wielerflits.
"It is with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to our racer and teammate Milan Bral. After his serious accident, during training this afternoon, he was unfortunately unable to win his fight. He died in the hospital, surrounded by his loved ones," his club team, Dovy Keukens-FCC Cycling, posted to Instagram a day ago.
It is cycling's second tragedy in the space of one week, after Camilo Muñoz died of an infection of wounds sustained in a crash during the Tour de Jura.
Bral, 21, was riding near the Hotond at the intersection of Kruisstraat and Zandstraat in Ronse when he was struck by a driver. News of his death came late on Sunday evening.
Bral was the nephew of former pro rider, Soudal-Quickstep sports director Sep Vanmarcke. Bral was the son of Vanmarcke's sister. His younger brother, Xibe, also races.
Xibe memorialised his older brother in a post to Instagram, writing, "Milan, I will miss you so much because I really looked up to you, but you probably already knew that....
"I will do everything this season to point to the sky for you. I remember well when you got angry at me because I almost fell in off a cliff in Mallorca; you thought you had lost me and said you didn’t want to lose me. Look now, now I have lost you and can’t do anything I would like to do to bring you back. Milan always told me a quote 'DREAM F*CKING BIG' and I will definitely do that. Milan, rest peacefully up there my best big brother, I will miss you."
Vanmarcke also posted an emotional description about their last conversation on Saturday morning to Instagram. Bral had asked his uncle about equipment selection for an upcoming race, the U23 Gent-Wevelgem on May 10.
"I don't know where to start, where to end. I don't want it to end. But it is like that. The only thing I've said in the last 24 hours is 'Damn it, Milan. That is impossible. Surely not you','” Vanmarcke began his post (in Flemish), on Instagram.
"Yesterday morning before your final training you came to us, asking which tyres and wheels you choose best for Gent-Wevelgem, or you would swap out the cassette. Next week we will put some new sealant in the tyres, just to be safe.
"And so much [enthusiasm] in that [Belgian Championships] time trial, fully fired up for the race, and for life itself, as always! Not half measures. Giving it absolutely everything.
"It comes to mind a lot... I wish I had kept you busy a little longer. A minute was enough. Then you might have been at the crossroads a little later. Maybe that car was already over by then.
"I wish I had cycled with you a bit more, and came to watch your races a bit more. 'Too busy', but now I wish for some extra time with you. I can't change it anymore."
The 21-year-old Bral was 16th at the U23 Belgium Nationals road race, and this year has top 10s in the West Flanders Championships in the U23 time trial and elite road race. This year he was racing for a long-established Belgian club team.
"Milan was so much more than a racer for us. He was a great guy, a real teammate, someone who was always there for others and had a warm, important place in our team. He was loved by all and will be greatly missed. Milan will remain a part of our team forever," the team said on their post.
"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who loved him. We wish them all the strength and warmth in this particularly difficult time."
Following his stage victory in the Presidential Tour of Turkey, Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise) remembered Bral.
"It really affects me," Crabbe said to Wielerflits.be. "I think that just shows that as cyclists we are always vulnerable, especially in traffic. I think that demonstrates once again that you simply have to be super careful and that perhaps even more attention needs to be paid to safety on the bike.
"Not only during the races, but also in training. That is perhaps something that is often forgotten, but is at least as important. And that is very sad news when it came in."
Cyclingnews extends our deepest condolences to the Bral family, the Vanmarcke family, the Dovy Keukens-FCC team and the Belgian cycling community.
