Sad news out of the Netherlands where Wielerflits reports 30 year-old MTB/Gravel racer Thom Bonder (GIANT-LIV BENELUX OFF-ROAD TEAM) was killed in an automobile crash while training on Tuesday 10 June in Oude Pekela.

The two-time winner of the Bartje 200 MTB race was out for a final training ride before trying to add a third Bartje title to his palmares this weekend.

Details of the crash have not yet been released by police.

Bonder won the Dutch U23 Marathon MTB National Championships in 2016 and went on to earn a bronze medal in the Elite category in 2019. More recently he added gravel racing to his schedule, qualifying for the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships with strong showings at Houffa Gravel (20th), Gravel Challenge Blaavands (16th) and 3RIDES Gravel Race (28th).

His team posted condolences on Instagram: “This news has affected us deeply. We do not want to and cannot imagine having to miss Thom. He has been a permanent fixture in our Giant-Liv Benelux Off-Road Team for many years, but at the same time he was much more than that as a committed colleague of our other riders and someone who liked to share his enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport with others. We wish his parents Jan and Greetje and all other loved ones a lot of strength in bearing this loss.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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