Sagasti was found deceased in his home and the cause of death is not yet known. He is the third rider to die in the past month, following the recent passing of Belgian riders Frank Vandenbroucke and Dimitri De Faux.
Sagasti’s career as a professional cyclist was cut short due to an horrific crash during the 1995 Vuelta a los Valles Mineros Asturias, where he suffered severe arm and leg injuries.
The collision with an oncoming car during that race also forced the then-24 year old Basque rider into a coma.
The previous year he had won the fifth stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco, the first victory for the fledgling Euskadi-Orbea team, which later became the Euskaltel-Euskadi outfit.
Vuelta a los Valles Mineros Asturias organiser Unipublic Mieres was forced to claim responsibility for Sagasti’s accident following a lengthy legal battle that resulted in a payout of 70 million pesetas. It was found that the organisation failed to control traffic at the intersection where the vehicle entered the course.
Despite the compensation, Sagasti didn’t ride professionally again, taking up a post as coach of the Basque Cycling Federation after recovering from his injuries.
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Cyclingnews extends its condolences to family and friends of the deceased.
