[Closed] Cyclist dies in sleep on tour

Bummer poor chap.

My guess would be SADS.

so much for the health benefits of cycling ?

My guess would be EPO 🙁

so much for the health benefits of cycling ?

You only hear about this sort of thing on the news because it's RARE: Imagine how many fat biffers and smokers died the same day, which we don't hear about because it's so common....

Sad news indeed.

People die young and old- why do people assume things?

You only hear about this sort of thing on the news because it's RARE

It's not as rare as you think, I think the figure is something like 12 young people a week in the UK.

And that's 12 apparently fit and healthy people, I'm not sure there's many people in their teens and twenties dying of smoking/obesity related illnesses every day.

What's so utterly tragic is a lot of these people would still be alive if they'd been diagnosed. I know there's a push for people competing at certain levels of sports to have an ECG which would pick up these problems.

One of my best friends died from SADS age 20. It always makes me sad when I read about others 🙁

Imagine how many fat biffers and smokers died the same day

but not aged 21!

[i]It's not as rare as you think, I think the figure is something like 12 young people a week in the UK.[/i]

If you look over the number of pro cyclists that die in this way there does seem to be a disproportionately high number. It's still a tragedy whatever the cause.

I think the figure is something like 12 young people a week in the UK.

So that's around 0.0002% of the population then, which is still rare in my book.

one of the roadies at sheffield uni passed away last year (or the year before), makes you wonder if you should get yourself checked out.

[i]one of the roadies at sheffield uni passed away last year (or the year before), makes you wonder if you should get yourself checked out. [/i]

You could but would most likely not be picked up.

I've heard of this happening more in cycling than any other sport

old school friend of mine died whilst riding round Richmond Park just before Christmas, he was 30 - suspected SADS

I agree with Seven, EPO would be my uninformed guess.

Yep a lot of young cyclists have died in their sleep in recent years, the suspicion is EPO usage.

[url= http://www.johnibbotsonfund.com/#/home/4526450315 ][b]...the John Ibbotson Fund[/b][/url]. The fund was set up in 2005 in memory of John Ibbotson with the aim of helping talented young cyclists from the south of England to follow their dreams and race in Europe.

John, or Ibbo to all who knew him, died of arythmagenic right ventricular dysplasia in August 2005, he was just 27. Ibbo was a former professional cyclist who subsequently became a successful cycling coach. His death was a huge shock to the cycling community and lead the fund to try and raise awareness of sudden cardiac death in the young; something that affects more people than many people realise. We have strong links with the charity CRY - Cardiac Rick in the Young [url][b]www.c-r-y.org.uk[/b][/url] who support families and friends who have been affected by heart conditions.

EPO caused a rash of deaths in top class cycling. Increase in number of red blood cells effectively thickening the blood leading to heart attack.

EPO caused a rash of deaths in top class cycling. Increase in number of red blood cells effectively thickening the blood leading to heart attack.

indeed, such was the risk that many pro riders would set their alarms a couple of times a night and get up to excercise, in order to minimise the chance of their blood getting so gloopy that their heart stopped in their sleep.

It would be prudent to wait for a post mortem before we get too carried away though. It is extraordinary how many super-healthy and drug-free people do just keel over. It is more apparent now, as most medical ailments have become easier to prevent, predict/detect in early stages, or treat when they happen. SADS is not one of them, and in the light of so many other advances in medicine, it seems to stand out more when it does happen.

Very sad indeed, I feel so sorry for his parents: no one should have to outlive their children.

The EPO thing first came to light due to a rash of young belgian cyclists dying in ther sleep, due to their blood being too thick to pump- as julian says getting up in the night etc., but that was 'back in the day'. Lets wait until the post-mortem before we condem him please.

I have been trying to sort myself out to visit my "coach" for the first time ([url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_%22H%22_Nelson ]the legendary Harold "H" Nelson BEM[/url]), but he has a strict policy of not letting anyone train who is showing signs of illness for precisely the reason that too many people die from SADS and which he believes is linked to training when ill. Given that I have a slightly dicky ticker anyway, I think it's just as well that he has this policy.

This is v sad for the family of this rider. Sure, EPO might well be suspected - as others have said,m it was imolicated in the deaths of orther young riders - but let's let him RIP whatever the cause.