Dutch age-group triathlete Franck van Graas (62), from Noordwijkerhout in the Netherlands, was killed on Thursday 30 April 2026 when struck by a car during a training ride in Mallorca, Spain. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Van Graas was on the island training in preparation for the Ironman triathlon in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Police in Mallorca have not released details of the crash or made any arrests. The investigation is ongoing.
His death is the latest in a troubling series of cycling tragedies on the island. Just two weeks earlier, on 15 April, a Polish cyclist died after losing control and plunging off the road while descending Sa Calobra. On Thursday in Marratxí, four Spanish cyclists were hit by a car while training, with three requiring transport to hospital for treatment.
Mallorca’s spring cycling season draws tens of thousands of international athletes each year, with locals increasingly concerned by the resulting congestion on a road network long considered inadequate for the volume of riders it attracts.
Van Graas was among the Netherlands’ most accomplished age-group multisport athletes, competing across Ironman triathlon and aquabike at the highest amateur level. He qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii three times — debuting at Kona in 2014 and returning in 2017 and 2022, where he finished 13th in the 55–m59 age group. At the 2015 Dutch Championship triathlon in Almere, he won his 50–54 age group and placed 20th overall in 09:17:51.
Van Graas leaves behind his wife, three children, and extended family. He was described by those who knew him as a devoted husband and father, and a man whose love of sport defined his life.
Gran Fondo Daily News extends its condolences to the Van Graas family, friends, and the Dutch triathlon community.
Photo Credit: Van Grass family
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