Memorial to Weylandt, De Fauw and Nolf dedicated in Ghent

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The town of Ghent, Belgium remembered three of its fallen cyclists today: Wouter Weylandt, Dimitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf, each of whom died in the past two years.

Hundreds of cyclists, friends and family of the riders gathered in Sint-Pietersplein today before riding 10 kilometres to the memorial for its unveiling on the Zonneputtragel in Zwijnaarde, HLN.be reported. Attendees included An-Sophie De Graeve, the girlfriend of Weylandt as well as Belgian champion Stijn Devolder.

The memorial sits aside the bike path that runs along the Schelde canal, near the sprint point of the weekly club ride where Weylandt often demonstrated his speed.

Weylandt was the most recent tragic victim of the sport. The 26-year-old from the Leopard Trek team crashed in the Giro d'Italia and died instantly from head trauma.

De Fauw, formerly of Quick Step and Chocolade Jacques, committed suicide at age 28 in November, 2009, having suffered depression since being involved in an accident at the Ghent Six Day in 2006 which claimed the life of Spaniard Isaac Galvez.

Nolf, from Kortrijk, was just getting his professional career started with Topsport Vlaanderen when he died in his sleep at the Tour of Qatar on February 5, 2009 of an apparent heart attack. Nolf's parents refused an autopsy, so the exact cause of his death at age 21 was never determined.