While Ireland's Adam Rafferty had taken arguably the best result of his season at the Junioren Rundfahrt (2.1) stage race in Austria yesterday morning, with 4th in the stage 1A TT, the event was plunged into tragedy in the afternoon road race stage when a young Italian cyclist suffered fatal injuries in a crash.
Jacopo Venzo (Campana Imballagi-Geo & Tex-Trentino) crashed on a descent during the 94.1km stage 1B from Haid-Ansfelden to Marchtrenk. And though he was immediately taken from the crash scene to hospital in Linz, efforts to save him were not successful.
His team confirmed his death in a statement this morning and after yesterday's stage was cancelled mid-stage due to the crash, the rest of the race has now been called off. As well as Rafferty (Team 31 Jolly Cycles) in the field, another Irish junior, Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain B Victorious), was also competing in the event.
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“With tears in our eyes and devastated hearts we announce that our junior Jacopo Venzo has left us," the Campana Imballagi-Geo & Tex-Trentino said this morning, after initially issuing a statement last night saying the 17-year-old had been seriously injured.
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"The boy had been the victim of a very bad fall yesterday on the downhill during the first stage of the Tour of Upper Austria. Jacopo was an extraordinary boy with a future to be written in sports and especially in life, and for that it hurts even more.
“The entire Campana Imballagi-Geo & Tex-Trentino gathers around his family, friends and all those who loved Jacopo at this time of immense grief. We ask that the family’s privacy be respected and thank everyone who will make us feel their support.
"We now have one more angel to protect us up there. Jacopo, thank you for the good times we had together. You can’t imagine how much we will miss you.”
The race had been due to continued today and tomorrow but has now been cancelled. The death of the young rider comes just weeks after Gino Mäder (Bahrain-Victorious) died followed a crash descending in Tour de Suisse; his killing rocking pro cycling and tributes being paid to him through the Tour de France, especially by his team mates.
