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Belgian cyclist killed as riders "sent wrong way" during raceStef Loos

Belgian cyclist killed as riders "sent wrong way" during race

Stef Loos, 19, was one of three riders involved in collision with van at “unsecured” crossroads
by Simon_MacMichael
Tue, Mar 19, 2019 12:09
3

An up-and-coming Belgian cyclist has been killed after he was involved in a collision with a van when he and other riders were sent the wrong way during a race.

Stef Loos, aged 19, died in hospital in Tournai from head and other injuries sustained during the collision on Sunday, his Acrog-Pauwels Sauzen team announced yesterday, reports Dhnet.be.

He was one of 30 or so riders who, according to team manager Jef Robert, were sent the wrong way by a marshal while taking part in the Grand Prix Alfred Gadenne.

He said that three riders, including Loos, “were driven into from the side by a van” at an “unsecured crossroads.”

Neither of the other two riders is in a life-threatening condition, although one sustained a broken leg.

Robert added: “We’re devastated by what has happened. Stef had ridden with us for a few years and was very well liked.

“Moreover, it’s not the first serious incident involving one of our riders. We are all in mourning.”

Police are investigating the incident, which has also been referred to the public prosecutors office in Tournai.

Belgian Cycling, meanwhile, expressed its condolences on Twitter.

 

Stef Loos
Belgian Cycling
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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3 comments

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Paul J | 5 years ago
1 like

Belgium seems to be the same as the Netherlands - "voorrang van rechts", i.e., traffic coming from your right has priority (if there are no other priority signs):

https://rijbewijs-online.be/nl/belgie/verkeersregels/voorrangsregels

If they were coming from the van's left, from an equal priority road, the driver might not even have looked in their direction (the driver'd have been looking right).

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Awful 

So: a crossroads in Belgium.  What are their rules of the road?  Did the van driver not look, or would the cyclists have been expected to give way?

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pdw replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

So: a crossroads in Belgium.  What are their rules of the road?  Did the van driver not look, or would the cyclists have been expected to give way?

I assume that they believed that they were on a closed road and thus normal rules did not apply.  Tragic for all involved 2

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