It was a dark weekend for the world of cycling, with two young Belgian talents passing away at races in the space of 24 hours.
On Sunday, Wanty-Groupe Gobert rider Antoine Demoitié was struck by a race motorbike at Ghent-Wevelgem and died of his injuries later that evening.
On Saturday, Roubaix Lille Metropole rider Daan Myngheer suffered a heart attack after abandoning the first stage of the Criterium International and died on Monday evening.
>>> Daan Myngheer dies from heart attack suffered at Criterium International
Riders, teams and managers in the professional peloton expressed their emotion to the passing of Myngheer.
A very sad weekend for the cyclingworld after #Demoitie just got now the news about… RIP #MyngheerDann pic.twitter.com/2LzWFyaumi
— Fabian cancellara (@f_cancellara) March 29, 2016
What a sad time. Another young champ is gone. RIP Daan. I wish your family, friends and teammates a lot of strength. https://t.co/IosaZBBfIe
— Marcel Kittel (@marcelkittel) March 29, 2016
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Daan Myngheer. So sad to lose another member of the cycling family. https://t.co/UF6HqBi7zG
— Team Sky 🚲 (@TeamSky) March 29, 2016
My sport is a hard sport and sometimes a cruel sport but it should never be about life and death. We lost Daan Myngheer now too, I'm so sad.
— Koen de Kort (@koendekort) March 29, 2016
Awful news again. Dark days for cycling. RIP Daan Myngheer. Thoughts with his loved ones. https://t.co/JOVQF408YW
— Michael Hepburn (@michael_hepburn) March 29, 2016
>>> Antoine Demoitié, 1990-2016
All the best to the family of Daan.Since we were 15y old we raced so much together, I'll never forget the fight spirit you had on your bike
— Jasper De Buyst (@JasperDeBuyst) March 29, 2016
Condelences to the familiy,
friends and teammates of Daan Myngheer. RIP— Michael Rogers (@mickrogers) March 29, 2016
When winning the race is not important anymore. We lost to young people. That hurts. Condolences for both family's, teams and friends.
— Patrick Lefevere (@PatLefevere) March 29, 2016
>>> Antoine Demoitié’s team shell-shocked but defiant on cycling’s day of tragedy
Never again… Dark Easter weekend. RIP Daan Myngheer. All our thoughts and heart to Daan’s family, friends and team.
— Team KATUSHA ALPECIN (@katushacycling) March 29, 2016
Such a terribly sad few days in the professional cycling world. Another tragic loss. RIP Daan Myngheer. My thoughts are with your loved ones
— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) March 29, 2016
My thoughts are with the family, friends and teammates of Daan Myngheer @TeamRLM https://t.co/vSHyXL9hyx pic.twitter.com/WVw5bVWIAz
— Brian Cookson OBE (@BrianCooksonUCI) March 29, 2016
>>> ‘Rider safety must come first’ says CPA after death of Antoine Demoitié
Myngheer becomes the third young professional to die in Europe this year, after former Europcar trainee Romain Guyot passed away after being involved in a collision with a car on March 3.
