A 25-year-old Irish cyclist from County Waterford, has died following an electrocution incident in a Paris Metro station while travelling in France to watch the Tour de France, prompting widespread tributes from across the cycling community.
Tomás Walsh, from the Cheekpoint area of County Waterford, who had travelled to France with the intention of watching stage 16 of the Tour, which finished on Mont Ventoux on Tuesday, died in the early hours of Monday morning.
A member of Comeragh Cycling Club since his teenage years, Walsh was remembered by his clubmates as “the life and soul of the club” and a “fantastic young man” who had raced at both underage and senior level with considerable success.
In a statement on Tuesday, the club said: “It is with great sadness that we have learned that our clubmate and friend, young Tomás Walsh has lost his life in France. We’re truly shattered by this news and extend our sincerest condolences to all his family and friends.”
A club spokesperson added: “Tomás suffered an electrocution in a Metro station in Paris on Monday morning. Full details [are] still a bit unclear at the moment. He was 25 since April. Tomás joined us in his teenage years and had some great success on the bike at both the underage and senior levels. He’ll be sorely missed by his family, friends and anyone who came across him in the world of cycling.”
Walsh’s racing career included a strong performance at the 2018 Junior Tour of Ireland, a win at the Frank O’Rourke Memorial that same year, and a spell racing in Belgium — all achievements that marked him out as one of a talented generation of Irish club cyclists.
A colleague who raced against him during his underage years described him as “a lovely young man” and recalled hosting him at the Rás Mumhan stage race. Another said: “I remember him riding the youth races we used to organise in Faugheen. A lovely young man.”
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Altitude, a specialist bike shop in Waterford, wrote: “Tomás was one of a golden group of talented cyclists who happened to converge through their membership of Comeragh Cycling Club and through which great friendships were formed. His death is deeply felt by everyone here and we extend our deepest sympathy to Bernie and Frank and to Tomás’s sisters and his family and friends.”
Other tributes described him as “a credit to his parents” and a “super kid on and off the bike”.
RTÉ reported that the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it is aware of the incident and is providing consular assistance.
Everyone at road.cc extends our deepest condolences to Tomás Walsh’s family, friends, and all those who knew him through cycling.
