Dimitri De Fauw (13 July 1981 – 6 November 2009) was a Belgian professional

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

and track bicycle racer. He was born in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. De Fauw competed on both the road and track but is best known for his crash during the 2006

Six Days of Ghent The Six Days of Ghent () is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Ghent, Belgium. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of ...

. On 26 November, De Fauw collided with Spanish cyclist

Isaac Gálvez Isaac Gálvez López (20 May 1975 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain – 26 November 2006 in Ghent) was a Spanish track and road racing cyclist who rode for Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears in the UCI ProTour. He died during the 66th Six Days of Ghe ...

during the madison portion of the Six Days of Ghent cycling event in Belgium. Both riders fell, though Gálvez crashed into the track's upper railing and was knocked unconscious. While medics resuscitated him at the scene, the Spaniard died of his injuries en route to hospital. Despite continuing to race as a professional, De Fauw suffered from ongoing depression in the aftermath of Gálvez's death and was haunted by the accident. In an interview the following month, the 25-year-old De Fauw said, "I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. Only time can heal my wounds." De Fauw died by suicide on 6 November 2009 in Belgium, shortly after competing in the Six Days of Grenoble.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Fauw, Dimitri 1981 births 2009 deaths Belgian male cyclists Suicides in Belgium Cyclists from Ghent 2009 suicides 21st-century Belgian sportsmen