Irish junior cyclist Shane O'Brien died in a tragic training accident on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old raced for British junior squad CAMS-Majaco, which this year signed a development partnership agreement with Netcompany-Ineos, and had represented Ireland in races around Europe, including the Course de la Paix.
"It is with immense sadness that we report the death of Shane O’Brien, a first-year junior with us. Shane tragically died yesterday in a training accident in Ireland," CAMS-Majaco announced in a statement posted on social media.
"Shane was a talented rider who had a bright future ahead of him, and was a kind-hearted, gentle and positive young man. We were honoured to have him as a member of the team, and he will be forever in our hearts.
"Our thoughts at this devastating time are with his family, friends, teammates and all who were lucky enough to know him."
According to reports in the Irish press, O'Brien was riding in Lismore, County Waterford, on Tuesday morning when he struck a parked lorry.
The Irish Times reported that O'Brien was pronounced dead at the scene, while his body was taken to a local hospital for a postmortem.
O'Brien's brother, Lidl-Trek Future rider Liam, has withdrawn from the ongoing Giro d'Italia Next Gen. Team general manager Luca Guercilena confirmed to TuttoBiciWeb that O'Brien has departed Italy to fly home.
Ireland's cycling federation also paid tribute to O'Brien in a statement posted on Instagram.
"Cycling Ireland is shocked and deeply saddened with the news of the tragic passing of junior rider Shane O'Brien," the federation wrote.
"Shane, formerly of Fermoy CC and more recently with CAMS-Majaco was well known and loved in the cycling community. He recently made his national team debut at Course de la Paix in the Czech Republic and had shown great promise as an emerging talent.
"Shane will be missed dearly by all in the cycling community in Ireland. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates at this time of tragic loss. May he rest in peace."
