Cycling:Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt has died following a crash during the third stage of the Giro d'Italia. The Leopard-Trek cyclist fell on the descent from the Passo del Bocco.
"Despite immediate treatment there was nothing we could do," doctor Giovanni Tredici told Rai Television.
Weylandt claimed his biggest career win when he won the same stage of last year's Giro.
"Today, our team mate and friend Wouter Weylandt passed away after a crash on the 3rd stage of the Giro d'Italia," Leopard-Trek manager Bryan Nygaard said in a statement.
"The team is left in a state of shock and sadness and we send all our thoughts and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wouter. This is a difficult day for cycling and for our team, and we should all seek support and strength in the people close to us."
Doctors at the scene cut off Weylandt’s helmet and performed cardiac massage for 40 minutes but their efforts were in vain despite the arrival of a helicopter. Helmets have been mandatory in cycling since the death of Kazakhstan's Andrei Kivilev during the Paris-Nice race in 2003.
The last rider to die in a crash in a grand tour was Italy's Fabio Casartelli during the 1995 Tour de France.