News in brief: Tragic accident in the Tour of New Caledonia. The French young professional Mathieu Riebel died in an accident on the first stage of the Tour of the South Pacific. For reasons that are still unclear, he collided with an ambulance during a descent. Riebel was only 20 years old. The race is suspended for the time being.
62 professionals are at the start of this year's Tour of New Caledonia on the island in the South Pacific. One of them was Mathieu Riebel, a junior rider with Team Shell Pacifique, who lost his life in a tragic incident during a descent. There are no details about the course of the accident at the moment, the organizers only speak of a collision with an ambulance in their statement, in which Riebel's teammate Erwand Brenterch was involved, who broke his leg.
⚫️ Tour de New Calédonie 🚴🇫🇷 :
Mathieu Riebel 🇫🇷 go on living in a descent!
Toutes nos condolences a la famille, ses amis .. pic.twitter.com/zkOnEx6BKH
— Direct Media Cycling (@direct_media_c) 20 October 2017
Gerard Salaun, the president of the organizing cycling association, is quoted by AFP: “Brenterch had a technical defect, Riebel was waiting for him and wanted to get him back on the field. Apparently he cut a curve in the process.” It is not yet known why the ambulance was on the route, or whether this area was cordoned off at all.
Our condolences to family and friends of Mathieu Riebel.
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