Michele Scarponi is to be buried in his Astana team kit to reflect his life as a cyclist. His funeral service will take place in his hometown of Filottrano in the Marche region on Tuesday afternoon. `The bike was his life, we`ll say goodbye to him dressed as a cyclist,` said Scarponi`s widow, Anna Tommasi, according to Il Corriere della Sera. `For me and the children, this was the Michele who came home from work every day.` Scarponi was killed on Saturday morning when he was struck by a van while training just two kilometres from his home. The driver of the van was a 57-year-old local man. `We know each other well. I`ve lost a son, but I`m thinking of him too,` Scarponi`s father, Giacomo, said.ADVERTISEMENT Tributes have been paid to Scarponi from the world of cycling. His old teammate Vincenzo Nibali dedicated his Tour of Croatia win to Scarponi`s memory and to his twin sons Giacomo and Tommaso. A minute`s silence was held before the start of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where winner Alejandro Valverde dedicated his victory to Scarponi and pledged his prize money to Scarponi`s family. Over the past two days, many of Scarponi`s friends, teammates and managers from the Italian gruppo have come to Filottrano to pay their respects. The 37-year-old Scarponi claimed victory on the opening stage of the Giro del Trentino last week, and was set to lead Astana at the Giro d`Italia in the absence of the injured Fabio Aru. He had been due to travel to Sicily on Sunday for a pre-Giro training camp at Mount Etna. Aru, Paolo Tiralongo and Astana directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli were among the mourners in Filottrano at the weekend. Martinelli recalled Scarponi`s professionalism, highlighting the rigorous and serious athlete beneath the smiling veneer.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|
