Frank Vandenbroucke has died while on holiday in Senegal. Reports in Belgium said that the 34-year-old Belgian cyclist was found dead in his hotel room and that early reports indicate that he died of a blood clot.
Vandenbroucke was out of contract after leaving Cinelli-Down Under but was looking for a team in 2010 just a few weeks ago.
Vandenbroucke made his professional debut in 1994 and recorded 51 victories, including the 1999 Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic, his career highlight.
In 2002, Vandenbroucke was twice stopped by police and discovered to be under the influence of alcohol at the wheel of a car. In another incident that year, a police search at his home uncovered a large quantity of doping substances.
In 2003, when he rode for the Quick Step team, Vandenbroucke appeared on the way back after a second place finish in the prestigious Tour of Flanders classic.
However, despite a promising start to the 2004 season, hopes of a sustained comeback were cut short and he sunk further into depression.
1995 - Lotto[/B] Paris-Brussels GP de Cholet-Pays-de-Loire
1996 - Mapei GP de l'Escaut-Schoten GP Ouest-France Tour Méditerranéen
1997 - Mapei Rund um Köln Tour de Luxembourg Trofeo Matteotti
1998 - Mapei Ghent-Wevelgem Paris-Nice Volta a Galega Tour de Wallonie
1999 - Cofidis Liège-Bastogne-Liège Omloop Het Volk Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise Vuelta a España 12th, Overall 1st, Stages 17 & 20 1st, Points
Frank did have some well publicised issues in the past with chemicals : but he was a superb rider when he was going well. Admittedly it has been a few years since he was at the very top of his game and I did follow his recent comeback with interest because like a lot of fans, I had hoped that he would rediscover his winning ways.
And now we read that he is dead from a suspected blodd cloat.
Dreadful news.
Far too many men in our sport have died far, far too young.
VBD, Marco Pantani, JM Jimenez.....................the list is endless.
No doubt he suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness for much of his life, but it's difficult to disassociate his involvement in the doping culture of cycling and the end result of his life.
But, it's all just for entertainment, right? Strong people aren't bother by the drugs, right?
The fact that Velonews shuffles this to a sidebar with a few scant paragraphs while Cyclingnews has it as a featured, measured article speaks volumes about the relative ignorance of American cycling fans.
The fact that Velonews shuffles this to a sidebar with a few scant paragraphs while Cyclingnews has it as a featured, measured article speaks volumes about the relative ignorance of American cycling fans.
The stories of Vandenbroucke, Pantani, and others have a common theme: humans, with all their weaknesses, shoved into the spotlight by dint of their chosen profession. The pressure becomes huge, to them, and results in their weaknesses becoming stronger. Kurt Cobain's story is the same. It's likely that Heath Ledger's was the same story. It's the story of people not built to handle the pressure of the international spotlight but at the same time are pushed into the spotlight while pursuing what they love.
Performance doping, drug use.....those are just symptoms. They're not the primary factors. I don't think anyone, here, could rightly say how they'd hold up under that spotlight, under that intense public scrutiny. I know I can't say.
Vandenbroucke: Three persons arrested in connection to death In connection to Frank Vandenbroucke's death, police arrested three persons yesterday in Thies, Senegal, for stealing his money and mobile telephones. One person was the woman who passed the last night, Sunday, with Belgian Vandenbroucke.
"The girl took one or two phones and money. But when she left [Monday] at dawn, she said he was still alive," an anonymous police source told AFP.
The stories of Vandenbroucke, Pantani, and others have a common theme: humans, with all their weaknesses, shoved into the spotlight by dint of their chosen profession. The pressure becomes huge, to them, and results in their weaknesses becoming stronger. Kurt Cobain's story is the same. It's likely that Heath Ledger's was the same story. It's the story of people not built to handle the pressure of the international spotlight but at the same time are pushed into the spotlight while pursuing what they love.
Performance doping, drug use.....those are just symptoms. They're not the primary factors. I don't think anyone, here, could rightly say how they'd hold up under that spotlight, under that intense public scrutiny. I know I can't say.
the thing about cycling is that it's by its very nature a very solitary sport.. you spend huge chunks of time alone.. if you don't have well established, healthy relationships with family, friends etc it's hard to impossible to establish them given a cyclist's schedule. so it's great when you have great success and you can come home and enjoy it with the people around you... if there is no one around you of any significance, you come home and you come off that high of your success to nothing, no one to share it with, just you and lots of empty roads ahead... people turn to illegal drugs to keep the high going and to dull the pain of their self imposed solitary confinement etc.. and turn to PEDs to keep the high that comes from success coming ever more frequently. it is similar to rock stars and movie stars... you are a super star and then you come home and if it's just you or in the case of ledger it's about to be just you or you don't want to think about it just being you sometime in the future.. or you are so scared of having to recreate that success again and maybe you don't think you're up to it... at times like that bad things can creep into your head..
Sad, yes. Shocking, no. Even with my limited time involved in cycling, I knew of his conflicted lifestyle and mental issues. This news was "just a matter of time"...Unfortunately, it seems Gerlach's headed down the same path...Hopefully not, of course...
I've all but given up on American cycling fans. Apparently, the majority of us want our cyclists like we want our football players - doped up to provide us with a few short years of entertainment.
I have no patience for the ignorance of this type of fan. These individuals deserve no respect and should be given no quarter, which is exactly what they give the riders.
I've all but given up on American cycling fans. Apparently, the majority of us want our cyclists like we want our football players - doped up to provide us with a few short years of entertainment.
I have no patience for the ignorance of this type of fan. These individuals deserve no respect and should be given no quarter, which is exactly what they give the riders.
LOL! Quite the pot-stirrer, aren't cha'?
Stick with cycling, my friend. It's apparent to me your knowledge of American football is limited to what you've been fed by the popular media outlets.
I've all but given up on American cycling fans. Apparently, the majority of us want our cyclists like we want our football players - doped up to provide us with a few short years of entertainment.
That's a pretty bold statement considering there's no proof to support it
Quoted post said:
I have no patience for the ignorance of this type of fan. These individuals deserve no respect and should be given no quarter, which is exactly what they give the riders.
I think your image of American "cycling fans" is polluted by your bias.
I've all but given up on American cycling fans. Apparently, the majority of us want our cyclists like we want our football players - doped up to provide us with a few short years of entertainment.
I have no patience for the ignorance of this type of fan. These individuals deserve no respect and should be given no quarter, which is exactly what they give the riders.
In past, there were a place named "Coliseum" were people "gave" their lives for entertainment of others. I heard that white bears cannot found enough food with global warming. Maybe we could have new show.😄
I've all but given up on American cycling fans. Apparently, the majority of us want our cyclists like we want our football players - doped up to provide us with a few short years of entertainment.
I have no patience for the ignorance of this type of fan. These individuals deserve no respect and should be given no quarter, which is exactly what they give the riders.
c'mon man... i think you're overstating your case a little bit here.. maybe a lot... Vandenbroucke obviously had some serious mental issues... and they sound more than just personal problems, but some real chemical imbalances.. the kind of thing some people are just born with. he probably would have had problems had he been a potato farmer, much less a professional cyclist. he was likely just not cut out for the pressures of professional sport doping or no doping.
i think it's a bit of leap to say that doping specifically somehow was the cause or contributed directly to his mental illness.. and that it wasn't just the many rigors of the sport that aggravated a pre-existing mental condition..
this is a sad story about a seriously, mentally ill man... i'm all for the anti-doping message, but don't make this case into something that it's not just to get your message out.. not appropriate..
