Michele Scarponi at 2014 Giro d'Italia presentation in Belfast (picture Gian Mattia d'Alberto - LaPresse).JPG
The driver of the truck involved in the crash this morning that claimed the life of 2011 Giro d'Italia champion Michele Scarponi failed to give way at a junction and said he "did not see" the cyclist, according to press reports in Italy.
Scarponi, aged 37, died at the scene of the collision which happened at 8 o'clock this morning while he was on a training ride in his home town of Filottrano in the country's Marche region.
> Tributes paid to Michele Scarponi
Pictures on the website of regional newspaper Il Resto del Carlino show extensive damage to the front of the Fiat Iveco flatbed lorry, including a smashed windscreen.
The newspaper says that the driver, a local man aged 57, failed to give way to Scarponi at a crossroads, and that the driver told Caribinieri officers afterwards that he had not seen the cyclist.
The Astana rider's funeral is likely to be held in his home town's sports centre through the wishes of his family as well as the expected number of mourners, according to the newspaper.
In a post on Instagram showing Scarponi preparing for a race with his twin sons nearby, his wife Anna expressed her thanks to everyone who has offered their condolences, on a day that has left the world of professional cycling united in shock and grief.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.