Samuele Privitera, a 19-year-old junior cyclist, died on Wednesday following a crash during the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta.
According to the Italian Cycling Federation, Privitera "apparently hit a speed bump and lost control of his bike" while riding at nearly 45 mph and collided with a gate. An investigation is ongoing. Privitera was attended to by medical personnel, resuscitated, and later taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
"We are saddened by what happened, but we believe we did everything possible to ensure the safety of the athletes," race director Filippo Borrione told Gazzetta della Sport.
Privitera was part of the Hagens Berman Jayco team, a development team for Jayco-AlUla, which is currently participating in the Tour de France.
"Samuele was and always will be the life and personality of this team," Axel Merckx, owner and general manager of the Hagens Berman Jayco Cycling Team, said in a statement. "This team has always been a small family, and moments like this are unimaginable. He was irreplaceable. His joy, his spirit, his kindness, was always a bright light to whatever room or race that he was in at that moment. To lose him is devastating beyond words. Personally, I am struggling to express the sadness I feel but I am deeply grateful for every moment we shared with him and for the joy he brought to our team every single day. He loved the bike, he loved the camera, he loved to smile, he loved to laugh, but most of all he loved his family and his teammates."
Tour de France riders paid tribute to Privitera ahead of Thursday's 12th stage.
Thursday's second stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta was canceled. The race will resume on Friday, beginning with a moment of silence and the riders competing in the third stage.
