Veranda's Willems-Crelan rider Michael Goolaerts has died after suffering a cardiac arrest during the 2018 edition of Paris-Roubaix.
Goolaerts crashed on the Briastre cobble sector with just over 150km remaining in the race, with television footage showing that the Belgian had appeared to have crashed alone.
>>> Cycling world pays tribute to Michael Goolaerts
Veranda's Willems-Crelan said that the 23-year-old had suffered a cardiac arrest, receiving emergency treatment from medical staff at the scene. He was then transferred by helicopter to hospital in Lille for further treatment.
However the team confirmed that Goolaerts had died in hospital on Sunday evening surrounded by friends and family.
"It is with unimaginable sadness that we have to communicate the passing of our rider and friend Michael Goolaerts," the team said in a statement.
"He passed away Sunday evening at 22:40 in Lille hospital in the presence of his family members and loved ones, who we keep in our thoughts. He died of a cardiac arrest, all medical assistance was to no avail.
"For now there will be no further communication as we want to give his close ones time to deal with this terrible loss.
"We thank you in advance for respecting the privacy of his relatives."
-
Six Of The Best Women's WorldTour races of 2021It’s been another fabulous year of women’s racing, most which we have been able to watch, here are our six favourites
-
Paris-Roubaix runner-up Florian Vermeersch posts incredible ride to Strava
The 22-year-old Belgian put in an astonishing ride on his 'Hell of the North' debut
-
A day in hell: Images from a brutal weekend at Paris-Roubaix
It was a tough day out for the hardiest of professional cyclists in Northern France
-
Christophe Laporte forced to use his foot as a brake before fighting on to sixth place in 'crazy' Paris-Roubaix
The Frenchman could be spotted putting his foot on his rear wheel as he navigated the muddy cobbles
-
'It was chaos from section one': Wout van Aert says victory was not possible for him at Paris-Roubaix 2021
The Belgian champion admits he was mispositioned when Mathieu van der Poel made his key attack
-
'If you sent me a message you are nuts': Luke Rowe hits back at critics after Paris-Roubaix crash with Mads Pedersen
The Brit challenges anyone who criticised him to try riding through the Arenberg forest with a front wheel puncture themselves
-
Five wet and muddy talking points from Paris-Roubaix 2021
An edition for the ages as the men's Paris-Roubaix returns after a two-year absence
-
Mathieu van der Poel says he 'was the most broken of all' in Paris-Roubaix sprint
The Dutchman has now finished in the top-10 in each of the sport's five Monuments
