The Italian cyclist has been active for three decades and was hit while cycling
When he turned 50, Davide Rebellin was asked why he was still active as a professional cyclist. “By passion,” he replied. This sport was his life and today, one month after his retirement, he has lost it. He was hit by a truck while cycling in the Italian town of Montebello Vicentino. After crushing the cyclist, the driver of the vehicle apparently did not stop. Rebellin passed away at the age of 51 and three decades in professional sports.
The 2004 season was his, when he won the Ardennes triptych: the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Walloon Arrow and the Amstel Gold Race. Italy has been rocked again by the death of one of its best cyclists. In 2017, he lost Michele Scarponi, also hit by a vehicle.
According to Italian media, the truck left a highway and entered a road where cyclists can drive. Rebellin was killed instantly. Although he was no longer a professional cyclist, he remained faithful to his daily routine by bicycle. Quitting his sport only lasted a few weeks. His last race was the Veneto Classic just over a month ago.
Rebellin was one of those runners without age. Briton Malcolm Elliot, who rode for Teka and Fagor, was a professional until he was 50. Haimar Zubeldia retired after participating in the last Tour at the age of 40. And Chris Horner, the American burger addict, won the 2013 Vuelta a España at almost 42 years old. In the end, they all succumb to the ticking of the calendar. Although Rebellin resisted, Paco Mancebo, active at age 46, resisted. Rebellin, who climbed to the podium at the Beijing Games with Samuel Sánchez, spent his final seasons on second- and third-tier teams. That didn’t matter. “Passion knows no age,” he repeated.
His story began to be written a long time ago. He was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics on that Italian team that won gold with Fabio Casartelli, who died three years later after a fall in the Tour. In 1992, Induráin commanded the squad. The young Rebellin debuted as a professional in the GB team, an institution. At his side were Ballerini, Baldato, Chioccioli, Cipollini, Jaskula, Tchmil… Names from another time. Rebellin is a cyclist of two centuries. In 2017 he won the fifth stage of the Tour of Iran. He surpassed a young compatriot, a certain Nicola Toffali, born in 1992, the year of Rebellin’s debut. Toffali is also the son of an old training partner. They all passed; he followed. “The heart has the last word. And my body and my head are ready for new fights,” he said.
His first victory dates back to 1993, in a German event, the Hofbrau Cup, in between his palmares radiates quality. Especially in 2004. His year. He signed the triptych of the Ardennes. Before that he had won the Clásica de San Sebastián and the Tirreno-Adriático, and then Paris-Nice. However, that 2004 ended badly. Ballerini, the Italian coach, has not called him up for the World Cup. Rebellin, a rebel, got the Argentinian nationality to fight for the medals. There was one of the characteristics that has always accompanied him: loneliness. He was never an idol, not even in Italy, a country with ease for devotion.
His loneliness was confirmed after one of his successes: he won the silver medal, after Samuel Sánchez, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In that test, he tested positive for CERA. They punished him and accused him of tax fraud. A plague. He was already a veteran. Everything sounded like the end. to a sad end After serving the sentence, he would be almost 40 years old. And the guaranteed veto of all the major teams in the world because they bear the black mark of doping.
In this situation of isolation, loners have an advantage: they are accustomed. He found shelter in second tier teams and in races far from the spotlight. With a bicycle and a bib was enough to be happy. Sober. As a boy he studied in a seminary. He would become a priest and ended up as a cyclist. He was meant to bear his special redemption. He returned from sanction and continued in the second tier of his sport. Until a month ago, he decided it was time. A truck didn’t let him enjoy his retirement.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
