A British man died during the Tour of Flanders sportive in Belgium on Saturday. According to Het Nieuwsblad, the 51-year-old collapsed of a likely heart attack before the Hotond climb near Ronse. According to the report, the man was participating in the We Ride Flanders tour with his son.
“This is the last thing you want as an organization,” organiser Gert Van Goolen said.
“We received a report that a man had fallen; a medical team was quickly on the scene and was able to resuscitate him. Unfortunately, the man died at the scene,” Van Goolen said in a statement to Radio 1.
“This is the last thing you want as an organization. You hope that 14,000 people can have a nice day here and you know there are risks, but you really don’t want this.”
The longest distance in the event was the 247-kilometre route starting in Antwerp and ending in Oudenaarde. Other ride distances – 79 km, 133 km and 163 km – started and finished in Oudenaarde. It is unclear which route the man had chosen because all four include the Hotond, which is the fourth to last climb.
Two other incidents occurred during Saturday’s event, one involving a 57-year-old Dutch man and later a second British rider who was rescued on the Oude Kwaremont. Both were taken to hospital.
In 2025, two We Ride Flanders participants died during the event, including Stéphane Krafft, 45, a former professional rider with the Cofidis team.