Julen Goikoetxea Garate (18 August 1985 – 7 October 2006) was a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

from

Ondarroa Ondarroa is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, northern Spain. Main sights *Church of St. Mary, ...

. Goikoetxea started his international career in 2004 as a member of the Alfus Tedes Garbialdi team. In his first two seasons he won five races.profile at ciclismoenred.com Ciclismoenred profile
, ciclismoenred.com

UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...

team acknowledged his talent and contracted him for the 2007 season. Despite his success as a cyclist, he began to suffer from depression. He tried to kill himself several times before doctors took care of his health. As a result, he did not cycle any races since May 2006. On 7 October 2006 he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

by jumping off his balcony.

Major results

;2004 : 1st Bergara ;2005 : 1st Ereño : 1st Antzuola : 1st Elgoibar : 1st Zegama

References

External links

Profile at ciclismoenred.com
* 1985 births 2006 deaths Spanish male cyclists Suicides by jumping in Spain Sportspeople from Biscay Cyclists from the Basque Country (autonomous community) People from Ondarroa 2006 suicides {{Spain-cycling-bio-1980s-stub