Francisco Cepeda, the Spanish cyclist who became the Tour’s first fatality on the descent of the Galibier

The fourth episode this Tuesday at the 111th edition of the Tour de France It is a sad memory for Spanish cycling. A distant July 12, 1935 was Biscayan Francisco Cepeda suffered a terrible fall in dGalibier descent which will end his life in his hospital bed. Grenoble.

Thus ‘Paquillo‘, which is how he was known in the peloton, becoming the first cyclist to die in the race. Big boucle, a loss explained by Mundo Deportivo in these words: “At 8:15 this afternoon, the Spanish cyclist Francisco Cepeda died as a result of injuries sustained on the stage. Aix-les-Baines-Grenoble of the Tour of France being held. All the efforts of science were useless to save the life of the famous cyclist… At the time of his death, his brother who came from Spain was by his side, as well as coach Mr. Gervais…The news of the death of the unfortunate cyclist was received with natural feeling by the members of the Spanish colony, who did not leave the patient for a moment.”

The mysterious double cause of his death

There are two theories that continue to exist today about the causes of death of Francisco Cepeda. Some theories suggest that the cause of his strong fall, in which the base of his skull was broken, was a result of an accident, because in fact at the beginning of the stage two other cyclists, the Belgian Gustave Danneels and the french Antoine Magne They were also run over.

But there is another theory that has gained more strength, the explosion, as a result of the new bicycle tires introduced by the organization. Even the French press at the time referred to the unfortunate accident as “the tire incident“. “It is the machines that are given to the runners that have ‘duraluminium’ rims but, either because of their poor quality or because they are poorly made, they give and often break or they let the wheel run away, which causes many falls, some of them with serious consequences. It is estimated that Cepeda’s fatal fall may also be due to this reason and it increases discomfort,” explained MD.

However, the truth is that Cepeda, a native of Sopuerta (Vizcaya), lost his life this unfortunate fall at the age of 29. A monument to his memory can be visited in his Childbirth supportwhere he can be seen holding a wheel with his hands and a cycling event is often held in his name, the last one held on July 22, 2023.

Cepeda debuted in 1929 in the ranks of Dilecta-Wolberearned three wins as a professional -two in Getxo Circuit and one of the Return to Álava– and went on to compete in four editions of the Tour de France.