Tragedy struck the cycling world on Saturday 22 July when 17 year-old Italian Jacopo Venzo crashed at the Tour of Upper Austria Juniors race and suffered life-ending injuries.

His Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex team based out of Trentino, Italy announced the tragic news on their website:

“With tears in our eyes and devastated hearts we announce that our junior Jacopo Venzo has left us. The boy had been the victim of a very bad fall yesterday on the downhill during the first stage of the Tour of Upper Austria.

“Jacopo was an extraordinary young man with a future all to write in sports and especially in life, and for that it hurts even more. We ask that the family’s privacy be respected, and we thank everyone who will make us feel their support.”

Venzo finished 87th out of 142 junior riders at the individual time trial held in the morning and was racing in the day’s second stage when he crashed solo on the Mistelbacher Berg descent. Race doctors and paramedics were immediately on scene providing emergency care. Venzo was then airlifted to hospital in Linz, Austria, but succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

The shocking event led to the cancellation of the 48th edition of the race, with David Lappartient, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), paying tribute to the young cyclist via Facebook, “My thoughts are with the family, friends and teammates of junior Italian cyclist, Jacopo Venzo who passed away during the Junioren Rundfahrt in Austria. A rising talent who had so many years of competitive cycling ahead of him.”

2023 was the first time the Tour of Upper Austria Juniors race included climbed the Mistelbacher Berg.

Photo Credit: Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex Trentino Cycling Team

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