Tragic week for cycling isn’t over: German track team hit by car in Mallorca

They are Tobias Buck-Gramcko (European champion under 23), Benjamin Boos, and Bruno Kessler (bronze medalists at the World Championships), as well as Max-David Briese, Moritz Augenstein, and Louis Gentzik. The track cyclists were transported to several hospitals on the island. Three of them are reported to be in serious condition, but none of them are in life-threatening condition. They appear to be primarily broken bones.

The accident occurred Monday morning near the Palma de Mallorca airport, where the team was training for the European Championships, to be held February 12-16 in Heusen-Zolder, Belgium. The driver allegedly was speeding, overlooked the group, and drove full speed into the riders. Tests showed he was not under the influence of alcohol.

Earlier this week, there was also a tragic accident in Trentino, Italy. Italian Sara Piffer lost her life here at the age of 19 after a collision with a car. Piffer was out training with her brother Christian when the two were hit by a car trying to overtake them. The emergency services, who arrived with a trauma helicopter, tried to resuscitate the young Italian, but all help came too late, and she passed away at the scene from her injuries.

Piffer rode for the Italian Team Mendelspeck and made her pro debut last season, starting in the Strade Bianche and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, among other events. In 2023, she finished 18th in the junior road race at the World Championships. She combined her career with studies in finance and marketing. The talented rider lived in Palù di Giovo, a wine village in the Dolomites, where former riders Francesco Moser and Gilberto Simone are also from. Her career seemed promising, but it tragically ended prematurely.

The rider's family is going through one of the most arduous periods of their lives, but they do not blame the driver for anything. "They asked me to choose the clothes for my daughter's funeral; I chose a cycling jersey she won last year," mother Marianna told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. "It says 'winner' on the front. Sara was always a winner for me, but she died in her brother's arms."

"Before she started training, I told her to be careful. She replied, 'The others have to be careful around us because they don't understand the risks they are taking,'" Marianna continued. "At first, I was incredibly angry with the driver, but then I saw how scared the driver was."

The death of the Italian is yet another one too many and hurts a lot after the death of Muriel Furrer, who died at the World Championships in Zurich, in her home country. Italian Francesco Moser is demanding that something change. "It is unacceptable. There are far too many tragedies on the roads and far too many deaths. We must do something; we must stop this carnage," the Italian told Tuttobiciweb.