I heard it was HOT but read below....D*MN!!! :'(
Second Argus cyclist dies
Posted Tue, 12 Mar 2002
A second victim of Sunday's Argus Pick 'n Pay cycle tour, halted early as temperatures soared to 42 degrees Celsius, has died in Cape Town.
Johan le Roux (34), of Brackenfell, who suffered a heart attack after suffering heat exhaustion, died in the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic on Monday afternoon.
Race organisers said Le Roux, who had ridden two previous tours, collapsed unconscious on Edinburgh Drive on his way back to the finish line.
A man who collapsed minutes after finishing the ride was airlifted to Milnerton Medi-Clinic where he also died in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Cape Argus identified him as Clyde Windram (40) of Welkom.
Dr Basil Bonner, medical director of the tour, said Windram was a seasoned cyclist with six tours to his credit.
On admission to hospital, his core body temperature was 41 degrees Celsius.
"His family said that he had been training and was determined to make this his best cycle tour time," said Bonner.
His wife also did the cycle tour.
Intense heat on the Cape Peninsula halted the race at 3pm on Sunday when officials feared they could not cope with the massive wave of dehydration among the cyclists.
It was the first time the event had been stopped in its 10-year history.
Bonner said that in total, 129 cyclists were examined in emergency units across the city, of whom 32 were admitted to hospital and 12 of those to intensive care.
Most of those still in hospital were expected to make a good recovery with two to three patients being "seriously ill at this stage with heat-related injuries".
He said four patients were still on life support.
Twenty-five cases of moderately severe dehydration were treated during and after the race, and five cyclists suffered from heat stroke.
Trauma cases accounted for ten head injuries and 15 leg and arms fractures.
Race organisers said the forecast for the day had been 29 degrees Celsius with a moderate south-westerly wind, perfect conditions for cycling.
"While every medical eventuality has been planned for, particularly medical emergencies, weather conditions on the day cannot be controlled," said David Bellairs, co-chairman of the tour.
"Our contingency plan which was invoked to deal with the heat-related crisis worked well." - Sapa
Second Argus cyclist dies
Posted Tue, 12 Mar 2002
A second victim of Sunday's Argus Pick 'n Pay cycle tour, halted early as temperatures soared to 42 degrees Celsius, has died in Cape Town.
Johan le Roux (34), of Brackenfell, who suffered a heart attack after suffering heat exhaustion, died in the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic on Monday afternoon.
Race organisers said Le Roux, who had ridden two previous tours, collapsed unconscious on Edinburgh Drive on his way back to the finish line.
A man who collapsed minutes after finishing the ride was airlifted to Milnerton Medi-Clinic where he also died in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Cape Argus identified him as Clyde Windram (40) of Welkom.
Dr Basil Bonner, medical director of the tour, said Windram was a seasoned cyclist with six tours to his credit.
On admission to hospital, his core body temperature was 41 degrees Celsius.
"His family said that he had been training and was determined to make this his best cycle tour time," said Bonner.
His wife also did the cycle tour.
Intense heat on the Cape Peninsula halted the race at 3pm on Sunday when officials feared they could not cope with the massive wave of dehydration among the cyclists.
It was the first time the event had been stopped in its 10-year history.
Bonner said that in total, 129 cyclists were examined in emergency units across the city, of whom 32 were admitted to hospital and 12 of those to intensive care.
Most of those still in hospital were expected to make a good recovery with two to three patients being "seriously ill at this stage with heat-related injuries".
He said four patients were still on life support.
Twenty-five cases of moderately severe dehydration were treated during and after the race, and five cyclists suffered from heat stroke.
Trauma cases accounted for ten head injuries and 15 leg and arms fractures.
Race organisers said the forecast for the day had been 29 degrees Celsius with a moderate south-westerly wind, perfect conditions for cycling.
"While every medical eventuality has been planned for, particularly medical emergencies, weather conditions on the day cannot be controlled," said David Bellairs, co-chairman of the tour.
"Our contingency plan which was invoked to deal with the heat-related crisis worked well." - Sapa
