Italian cyclist Samuele Privitera has died following a crash at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta.
The 19-year-old died on Wednesday, his cycling team Hagens Berman Jayco announced.
Race organisers confirmed that Privitera’s crash occurred during the first stage. After he was attended to by medical services, organisers said, Privitera was taken to Aosta’s Umberto Parini Hospital.
“The circumstances of the accident are still unclear and are being investigated by public safety authorities,” the organisers added.
Thursday’s second stage of the race has been cancelled following Privitera’s crash and the race will resume with the third stage on Friday, preceded by a moment of silence.
Axel Merckx, the general manager of Hagens Berman Jayco, paid his respects to the teenager on social media.
“Samuele was and always will be the life and personality of this team,” he said on Instagram. “This team has always been a small family, and moments like this are unimaginable. He was irreplaceable. His joy, his spirit, his kindness, was always a bright light to whatever room or race that he was in at that moment.”
Race director Filippo Borrione said, via Gazzetta della Sport: “The ambulances following the procession arrived immediately, and the doctor present immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and called 118 for resuscitation.
“We are saddened by what happened, but we believe we did everything possible to ensure the safety of the athletes.”
Privitera recorded a podium finish in a stage of the Giro Next Gen in 2024 and this year, he made his professional debut when he was selected to ride for Jayco-AlUla in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, finishing in 95th place overall.
The Giro della Valle d’Aosta is the largest under-23 race in Italy, following the Giro Next Gen, held annually in August in the Aosta Valley.
(Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
