«The days of fun are over»: the last line in the life of James Dean, Hollywood’s cursed man par excellence. If some had the fortune of having fun and feeling good for a long time, for many others their passage on this earth was too, too short. On the day traditionally dedicated to budgets and hopes for the future, Cycloweb spare a thought for the most representative riders and characters in the world of cycling who left us in 2025.
I mourning of the cycling Italian and international
The mind goes first of all to all those who had yet to enter life and, instead, took the stairway that leads to heaven ahead of time, often in an atrocious way. It’s January 24th when a car hits and kills a Halfcrown (Trento) the 19 year old Mendelspeck cyclist Sara Pifferengaged with her brother Christian in a training session on the streets of their home. Fate was equally grim with one of his peers, the Ligurian Samuele Privatewho died on 17 July 2005 following a terrible fall during the first stage of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta. The athlete of Hagen Bermans Jayco – expected to turn professional in 2026 – lost control of his bike while riding over a artificial hill and then crashed into a railing.
On Saturday 21 September, however, a heart attack struck 25-year-old Kevin from Vicenza Bonaldo in the final kilometers of the Little Sanremo, the classic of the Under-23 category which takes place on the streets of Sovizzoin the province of Vicenza. The athlete was hospitalized for about a month at the San Bortolo hospital SC Padovani-Polo-Cherry Bank he dies on October 24.
Other tragedies, other lives broken too soon: a few days after the death of Sara Piffer, the 18-year-old British Aidan Warren – national champion a stopwatch of the junior category – loses his life on the roads of Lancashire while participating in a training session with his team, the Team Cycling360. He too was hit by a car. Same fate for the 19 year old Colombian Juan David Cardenas Suesca, who died on the roads of the province of Boyacá on February 12, and the 17-year-old Frenchman Tristan Merlewho passed away on December 22nd Bouëxa small municipality in the South-West of the Hexagon.
The impact with a truck it was instead fatal to the 22-year-old Belgian Beau From Izerloo. Willebrord athlete Wil Vooruit had just withdrawn from the first stage of the Arden Challengeshort stage race at the start of the season.
The accidents in the running: a very painful chapter for the entire world of cyclingwhich seems incapable of seriously addressing the issue of safety. In addition to Privitera, the two-wheel family was shaken by the death of 22-year-old Turk Mustafa Ayeorkunwho passed away on June 5 due to a fall at the Tour of Iran, and the 17-year-old Spaniard Iván Melendez Luquevictim of a terrible crash on August 24th during the first stage of the Junior Tour of Ribera del Duero. Just two weeks later, 16-year-old Noa suffered cardiac arrest Sartis while he ran there Courcemont cadetsa competition for students held in the Sarthe region.
The “winter purple» was also merciless towards the amateurs who participated in the We Ride Flandersthe granfondo that anticipates the show by a day Tour of Flanders. A day of celebration turned into a moment of pain for a Dutch cycle tourist and the 45-year-old Frenchman Stefan Powerprofessional with Cofidis in the two-year period 2000-2001. A few hours earlier, however, his compatriot Simon had died in his sleep Millon24 years old, working for the Chaletois handlebarsa fourth-string team.
The news of the sudden death of paracyclist Paige at the age of 28 then broke from Australia in mid-November GrecoParalympic gold a Tokyo 2020 in the individual pursuit (category C3) and also protagonist in the road tests of the Japanese event, which ended with two more medals.
The homage to the greats of the past
Many of them have become passionate about two wheels, listening to the stories of their parents and grandparents or – more simply – learning firsthand about the great figures of the past. Among them, it is worth starting with Michele Dancing: the runner from Brescia – who died on 18 December at the age of 83 – ennobled his career with the triumph at Milan-Sanremo 1970, which interrupted the negative streak of Italian cycling in Very spring classic open for 17 years, thanks to a long escape from afar. Also in his palmarès is one Walloon Arrow11 stages at the Giro d’Italia and a fraction at Tour de France.
Not just Dancelli: Italian cycling has worn black mourning for other prominent riders over the years Seventy. At the top of this list is certainly Enrico from the Marche region Paoliniwho passed away on May 7 a few weeks after celebrating his 80th birthday. Flag of Scic – with which he faced his entire professional life – Paolini achieved 7 partial successes in the Giro d’Italia, two stages in Tour of Switzerland and three national titles on the line. His teammate was Claudio from Trentino Michelottowho died on June 2 at 82. Less successful than Paolini, Michelotto had the satisfaction of wearing the pink jersey at the 1971 Giro for 10 days, defending it until the fourth to last day of the race. Not the only joy in his life professionalin which he achieved a partial success in the 1969 Giro and the final classification of the Tirreno-Adriatico 1968.
In mid-spring, Donato from Abruzzo took leave of this world Giulianiin a group with the Filotex and the Jolly Ceramica from 1970 to 1977. His CV includes a partial victory at the Tour of Switzerland and one at Tour of Romandie. Among the former Italian professionals, Giampaolo also lost his life in the late summer Security (70 years old), in the top flight with Inoxpran in the two-year period 1979-1980, and Tullio Rossi (77 years old), winner of the Fiuggi stage of the 1973 Giro d’Italia. On 1 October, however, cycling bid farewell to Stefano Casagranda: the Trentino native – active between the second half of the 1990s and the early 2000s – was killed by cancer at just 52 years old. He has 5 successes to his credit, the first of which was at Paris-Nice 1996.
In the first days of 2025, however, Arrigo died at the age of 97 Padovan: he held the record of oldest living winner of stages (three, to be exact) at Tour of Italy. The Venetian – who raced among the professionals for fifteen years – also won two stages at the Large Loop. The same race that also gave the French Jacques a record for longevity Marinelliwho died on 3 July on the threshold of a century of life: he wore the yellow jersey for a week at the 1949 Tour, then finished on the third step of the podium behind Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
The great French campaign also gave the best joy of his career to the Belgian Ludo Dierckxsenswho won the fraction of Saint-Etienne in the 1999 edition. The former Lampre rider was struck down in May by a heart attack. He was sixty years old.
Among the prestigious names in international cycling, it is right to pay homage to the Belgian Walter Godefrootwho passed away on September 1st at the age of 82. Long-time enthusiasts will remember him for his victories in the monument classics (the Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1967, the Parigi-Roubaix 1969 and the Tours of Flanders 1968 and 1978) and for the 10 partial successes at the Tour de France. The less elderly, however, knew him for his role as sports director – shared with compatriot Rudy Pevenage – of T-Mobile in the (not very honorable and very controversial) nineties.
The legends of track and cross: Grisandi, Testa, Di Tano
Those who love cycling don’t just follow the champions of street. Also for this reason, our memory also extends to the great protagonists of the track and cyclocross, led by Giampaolo Grisandi, gold at the world championships Bassano del Grappa 1985 in the team pursuit, roped with Roberto Amadio, Massimo Brunelli and Silvio Martinello. The track racer from Ravenna – who then left racing to join the armed forces – died on 29 January at the age of sixty. A few months earlier he had been diagnosed with cancer. At the beginning of the summer, Franco from Veneto passed away at the age of 87 TestaOlympic gold in Rome 1960 in the team pursuit together with Luigi Arienti, Mario He declared and Marino Vigna and silver at the 1964 Tokyo Games in the same specialty with Vincenzo Mantovani, Carlo Ranchi and Luigi Roncaglia.
On February 5th, off-road lovers paid their final farewell to Vito from Puglia Di Tanostruck down by cancer at the age of 71. His career developed mainly in cyclocrosswhere he was world champion amateurs twice (Saccolongo 1979 and Lembeek 1986) and seven times tricolor.
Another monument of cycling was Vito Ballet: the Vicenza native – who passed away on 5 September at the age of 87 – was part of the 100 km team quartet (also made up of Ottavio Seize yourselfGiacomo Fornoni and Livio Trapè) who triumphed at the Olympic Games in Roma 1960. The track continued to be the great love of his life (until he was forced to retire due to a serious accident at Vigorelli of Milan in 1969), but Bailetti was also successful on the road: two partial finishes at the Giro and the same number at the Tour in the two-year period 1962-1963.
The 100 km also gave the greatest satisfaction of his career to Giancarlo from Lombardy Moneywho died in the summer at the age of 85. He was silver at the World Championships in San Sebastian 1965 together with Luciano Dalla Bona, Mino Denti and Pietro Guerrabefore turning (briefly) to professionalism.
The other goodbyes
Everyone remembers him for his TV commentary National of football and major international football events. And yet, Bruno Pizzul – who died on March 4 at the age of 87 – had a special bond with the world of cycling, which he regularly covered in the first part of his career, especially for the Tg2 column Sunday sprint.
A familiar face from the group was Professor Giovanni Thirteena point of reference for forty years medical service at the Giro d’Italia, who died on 18 September at the age of 81.
The Giro is the dream race for many champions, many of whom have passed through the Capodarco Grand Prixone of the most important races on the international calendar Under-23. Its founder, Gaetano Gazzolileft the scene at the end of May after organizing the Marche race for more than half a century.
Finally, a tragic story that is closely linked to the world of two wheels: on 31 October a Calaisin France, the former track racer Cindy Morvan. She was 39 years old and had two young children who will grow up without their mother, murdered by her ex-boyfriend’s partner, then found lifeless a few hours later.
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