Emotional Sep Vanmarcke fights back tears in moving tribute to late nephew Milan Bral

An emotional moment unfolded on Belgian television when Sep Vanmarcke spoke publicly about his late nephew Milan Bral. The 21-year-old Belgian rider died in late April after being struck by a car during a training ride. Vanmarcke, now a sports director at Soudal Quick-Step, paid tribute to Milan’s ambition, character and remarkable positivity.

It was another devastating blow for the cycling world, coming shortly after the death of Cristian Camilo Muñoz. The former teammate of Tadej Pogačar had passed away a week after crashing at the Tour du Jura. Soon afterwards, similarly tragic news arrived from Belgium: Milan had died following an accident while training.

Vanmarcke shared a deeply personal tribute to his nephew on social media shortly after his death. “I don’t know where to begin or where to end. I don’t want it to end, but this is how it is,” the Belgian wrote. “Yesterday morning, before your final training ride, you came to see us. So many things keep going through my mind… If only I had kept you there a little longer. One minute would have been enough. Then perhaps you would have reached that junction just a little later. Maybe that car would already have gone by.”

“If only I had gone cycling with you more often and watched more of your races. I was ‘too busy’, but now I wish I could have had that extra time with you,” the Soudal Quick-Step sports director continued. “I am so proud of you, Milan. I am grateful that I was able to know you for 21 years. I love you. I will never forget you.”

During Thursday evening’s edition of the Belgian Tour de France talk show Vive le Vélo, Vanmarcke spoke about Milan on television for the first time. Visibly fighting back tears, he described his nephew as an exceptionally positive and driven young man.

“Milan was an incredibly positive person at 21 and was always motivated,” Vanmarcke said. “He really wanted to become a professional cyclist and to be here at the Tour de France. He was very forward-thinking and always tried to bring out the best in everyone, as well as in himself.”

“He trained himself to have a very positive mindset,” an emotional Vanmarcke continued. “Honestly, at that age, I looked up to just how positive he was. To put that into context, three years ago I had to stop racing as a professional because of heart problems.” It was during that difficult period that Vanmarcke received invaluable support from his young nephew.

“Milan was only 18 at the time, but he was one of the people who approached me with such positivity,” he explained. “That was true when he spoke about my career as a rider, but also when he talked about the future.” “I remember thinking: Milan, how can you see things that way when you are only 18? He was such a wonderful young man, and that is why I want to keep talking about him.”