Dimitri De Fauw (13 July 1981 – 6 November 2009) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

professional

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

bicycle racer. He was born in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. De Fauw competed on both the road and track but is best known for his crash during the 2006

Six Days of Ghent The Six Days of Ghent ( nl, Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent) is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Ghent, Belgium. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent's ''Citadelpark''. The 2006 event from 21 November to 26 November was marred ...

. On 26 November, De Fauw collided with Spanish cyclist

Isaac Gálvez Isaac Gálvez López (20 May 1975 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain – 26 November 2006 in Ghent) was a Spanish track and road racing cyclist who rode for Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears in the UCI ProTour. He died during the Six Days of Ghent cy ...

during the madison portion of the Six Days of Ghent cycling event in Belgium. Both riders fell, though Gálvez crashed into the track's upper railing and was knocked unconscious. While medics resuscitated him at the scene, the Spaniard died of his injuries en route to hospital. Despite continuing to race as a professional, De Fauw suffered from ongoing depression in the aftermath of Gálvez's death and was haunted by the accident. In an interview the following month, the 25-year-old De Fauw said, "I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. Only time can heal my wounds." De Fauw committed suicide on 6 November 2009 in Belgium, shortly after competing in the

Six Days of Grenoble The Six Days of Grenoble (french: Six jours cyclistes de Grenoble) is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Fauw, Dimitri 1981 births 2009 deaths Belgian male cyclists Suicides in Belgium Sportspeople from Ghent Cyclists from East Flanders 2009 suicides