Tragedy at the European Gravel Championships: Italian amateur cyclist dies of heart attack

There was a tragic incident at the European Gravel Championships in Asiago in which Italian cyclist Silvano Janes sadly died. Janes, who was competing in the amateur category, suffered a heart attack during the race and died at the scene, authorities confirmed. After the professional race, the amateur competition was supposed to take place, but the remaining drivers were stopped and were not allowed to continue. This is the second death of a cyclist during a race in a short period of time, following the recent death of Muriel Furrer at the Swiss World Championships.

Janes was a well-known name in the Italian cycling community. He had cycled all his life and continued to train intensively, often taking part in training rides with (former) professionals such as Francesco Moser, Gilberto Simoni – who described him as “the strongest rider he knew” – and Daniel Oss. Janes, called “Tasso” by friends, became Masters World Champion in mountain biking in 2013 and was considered a pioneer of Italian mountain biking at a young age.

After his death, the remaining amateur racers were stopped at the finish line and failed to complete the final laps. The professional riders who had advanced further in their race were allowed to finish. In the women’s category, Switzerland’s Sina Frei took the championship title, while Italy’s Silvia Persico and Alice Maria Arzuffi took the other podium places. In the men’s race, Czech rider Martin Stosek won and crossed the finish line alone ahead of Briton Toby Perry and young Belgian Jenno Berckmoes.

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