The late Weit Heuker(Image credit: Crocodile Trophy)
Weit Heuker during stage 4(Image credit: Crocodile Trophy)
Stage six of the Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race was neutralised following the death of Dutch rider Weit Heuker. The 59-year-old died during the night of the 23rd-24th October.
Heuker, who had been lying in 6th place in the M3 general classification, suffered cardiovascular and circulatory failure. It is understood that Heuker had previously suffered cardiac arrest but that the event’s medical officers were not aware of his history before the race.
“We learned this morning – unfortunately only now – that Weit Heuker already had suffered a cardiac arrest a few years ago and had been under medical care since then,” said Dr. Alexandra Reimann, head of the race’s medical support team.
Sunday’s stage 6 was cancelled as a mark of respect to the late Heuker. The competitors assembled for a minute’s silence before riding a neutralised route along the main road from Chillagoe to Mt. Mulgrave, where the seventh stage begins.
Race organiser Gerhard Schönbacher offered his sympathies to those close to Heuker. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends and teammates,” he said.
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
