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03-12-03, 09:12 AM
PARIS (AP) -- Cyclist Andrei Kivilev of Kazakhstan died Wednesday, one day after tumbling from his bike and going into a coma during the Paris-Nice race.
The 29-year-old rider fractured his skull and broke two ribs in the fall, about 25 miles from the end of the 114-mile second stage from La Clayette to Saint-Etienne.
The head trauma was irreparable despite quick intervention, race organizers said.
Organizers expressed ``deep sadness'' and condolences for Kivilev's wife, Natalia, and their 6-month-old son, Leonard. Racers were to observe a moment of silence at the start of Wednesday's stage.
``The death of a runner on the place of his work, the road ... comes as a real shock,'' organizers said. ``Fate went against him.''
French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour sent organizers a telegram, calling Kivilev a ``brilliant representative of Kazakh cycling who chose to carry out his professional career in France.''
Kivilev finished fourth in the Tour de France in 2001 and had ridden for Festina, Casino, AG2R and Cofidis.
During the 1995 Tour de France, Italian cyclist Fabio Casartelli died after failing to handle a steep curve during a descent in the Pyrenees.
The 29-year-old rider fractured his skull and broke two ribs in the fall, about 25 miles from the end of the 114-mile second stage from La Clayette to Saint-Etienne.
The head trauma was irreparable despite quick intervention, race organizers said.
Organizers expressed ``deep sadness'' and condolences for Kivilev's wife, Natalia, and their 6-month-old son, Leonard. Racers were to observe a moment of silence at the start of Wednesday's stage.
``The death of a runner on the place of his work, the road ... comes as a real shock,'' organizers said. ``Fate went against him.''
French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour sent organizers a telegram, calling Kivilev a ``brilliant representative of Kazakh cycling who chose to carry out his professional career in France.''
Kivilev finished fourth in the Tour de France in 2001 and had ridden for Festina, Casino, AG2R and Cofidis.
During the 1995 Tour de France, Italian cyclist Fabio Casartelli died after failing to handle a steep curve during a descent in the Pyrenees.