Tragedy strikes again with the loss of Xavier Tondo: Cycling News
Last weekend was filled with the thrilling admittance for doping by one of the American former gold medalist on national television. The rider not only admitted his own involvement in the wrong-doing, but also took Lance Armstrong
down with him.
However, the start of the new week brought even a bigger blow to professional cycling with the loss of the talented Catalonian rider, Xavier Tondo, in a tragic accident outside his crib at the ski resort in Southern Spain.
It is the second time during May that world of cycling has been hit by a sad incident. Recently, a Belgian rider, Wouter Weylandt, expired due to an accident at the 2011 Giro d’Italia.
The Movistar Team's rider, Xavier Tondo, was a highly acclaimed member of the peloton. But ironically when the little climber was heading for training with another compatriot professional cyclist, Benat Intxausti of the Euskaltel
team, he was crushed between his car and the automatic garage gate at his home in Grenada.
The local police and the team manager Eusebio Unzue were not willing to give more details about the tragic incident at present. Both the Spanish riders planned to drive on the Sierra Nevada Mountains and join another Spaniard
Alejandro Valverde for lengthy road-ride training.
Tondo was recently under the spot-light and quickly became the one to look up to for this year’s edition of the Tour de France. He had turned professional eight years back, but this season was quickly becoming the best of his
all prior seasons.
Tondo was a former stage winner at both the Volta a Catalunya and the Paris-Nice and with the sixth overall at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana, Tondo’s career overall accumulates 16 professional cycling victories.
The Tour de France champion and a challenging competitor Alberto Contador said after the sorrowful incident: "He was an incredible person who loved this sport more than anyone."
Xavier Tondo was not only a talented cyclist, but also a man of high morals. He gained immense respect by helping the Spanish police with their mision Cursa in Giron as he informed the authorities on the offers of banned substances,
which led to the arrest of seven responsible people. He was also described as a “new hero of the anti-doping movement” by a popular Cycling Sport magazine.
Tondo will be remembered in the world of cycling because of his achievement.
Tags: