Stijn Van Gent, Belgium's favorite rider, passed away in the night of 6 May 2014. Aged 24, he was an extremely talented cyclist, with a palmares that many could only dream of. His death is unexpected and shocks the entire cycling community

Coming down from the podium of the Giro, where he wore the leader's jersey, he told his colleague and best friend, Eric Lombaerts, that he had a chest pain. He went to bed extra early that night, to make sure he'd recuperate perfectly, never to wake up again.

Stijn Van Gent was only a neopro when he showed a very promising future by ending up on the podium of Gent - Wevelgem and finishing 5th in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Only a year later he went on to win E3-prijs, Gent - Wevelgem, Paris - Roubaix and many other races, like the Tour of Britain. The world was certain: this was a natural and he'd be around for a very long time.

Having a very strong finishing sprint and a talent for cobblestones, he was almost unbeatable in the many races he participated in. He successfully defended his title in Roubaix and in the E3 - prijs and it seemed as if nothing could get in the way of the young rider from Oudenaarde.

On 5 May 2014, he won the prologue in the Giro d'Italia. It was one of his most prestigious wins and he was extremely happy to be wearing the pink jersey the following day: "This is beyond anything I ever hoped". The next day he beat many world class sprinters to the finish, getting his 4th win of the season. Once again, Stijn was unstoppable.

Stijn winning the second stage in the 2014 Giro d'Italia

Fate, however, decided otherwise. Stijn died in his sleep from a very rare heart condition. Doctor Vermaelen from Lotto-Belisol: "We're all beat here. (...) It's very strange that this condition never showed up in any test, we'll have to look into that." The entire team of Lotto-Belisol withdrew from the race. The third stage was neutralized.

Stijn winning Paris - Roubaix for the second time in a row

Stijn's palmares is cut short but remains impressive.



Stijn still had many dreams for his future, he wanted to win the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the National Championship. He also wanted to break the Paris - Roubaix record, which many think was a very possible goal for a rider as him, driven, concentrated and talented.

The whole cycling community is turned upside down. Many riders reacted on twitter, including Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen, former teammate Mark Renshaw, Matti Breschel, and many more. He'll be buried in Oudenaarde coming Wednesday, publicly. The city has announced a statue in his honor on the town's square.