Cycling is in a state of shock after the death of a Belgian rider on the third stage of the Giro d'Italia.
Race officials say 26 year old Wouter Weylandt tumbled about 20 metres down a bank and fractured his skull after the left pedal of his bike stuck into a wall during a steep descent.
Doctors performed cardiac massage for 40 minutes, but their efforts were in vain.
Weylandt claimed his biggest career win when he won the same stage of last year's Giro.
Two years ago riders protested against what they saw as unsafe racing conditions on the Giro after the Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo narrowly escaped death in a terrible crash down a ravine.
