Tragedy strikes in Nice
French newspapers are reporting that a British triathlete crashed during the bike segment of the 2013 Ironman France in Nice and died on the way to the hospital.
The name of the 30-year old British triathlete has not been released, but according to nicematin.com the athlete lost control of his bike and slammed into a wall in the historic town of Tourrettes-sur-Loup. He suffered from severe head trauma and had a cardiac arrest.
"We received an emergency call at 9:22, informing us of a fall at kilometer 48, the exit Tourettes towards Pont du Loup. At the bottom of the descent, an athlete lost control and subsequently struck a rock face, " said race doctor Dr. Godino in a press conference. "Two emergency motorbikes were there in 8 minutes. A helicopter came to retrieve the injured athlete for transport to hospital and his death occurred during transport."
The British newspaper Standard.co.uk reported that race director Yves Cordier said he was shocked by the tragedy, and that it was the first time a contestant had died during an Ironman event in France.
During the 2012 Ironman France, British participant Clare Blackwell was struck by an ambulance as she set out on her bike during the race and suffered broken pelvis, a collapsed lung and head trauma. She was then induced into a coma to minimize brain damage.
With the current tragedy during Ironman France we tried to see what had become of Clare Blackwell, but we were not able to find an update.
More recently in Chattanooga,TN during the popular State 3 Mountain Challenge a 49-year old Florida man lost control of his bike during the descent of Lookout Mountain, crashed into oncoming traffic and died at the scene.
