He died on Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke because of a pulmonary embolism

Muere el ciclista belga Frank Vandenbroucke a causa de una embolia pulmonar

• La causa de la muerte ha sido una embolia pulmonar, según la televisión pública belga

He died on Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke because of a pulmonary embolism

* The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism, according to the Belgian public television
* After astonish the late 90s, was involved in doping and drugs
* The sprinter and joined to the black list of riders who test positive and sink
* He spent his last night with a Senegalese girl, who saw fainted

RTVE.ES / 12.10.2009El AGENCIES BRUSSELS Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke has died at age 34 while vacationing in Senegal, where he was found dead in a hotel room, according to Belgian television go ahead 'RTFB'.

A source close to confirmed the death Vandenbroucke told France-Press. "Frank was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal, but it is not the cause of death," said the source. Belgian media say the cyclist has died from a pulmonary embolism.

The cyclist spent his last night with a Senegalese girl, who said he witnessed the runner collapsed after complaining because he felt bad, as reported by Belgian RTBF television on its website.

The young rider Fabio Polazzi 24 years, accompanying Vandenbroucke during their stay in Senegal, explained exclusively to the chain they both came to the African country on Sunday afternoon. After dining at a restaurant, where they shared "a few drinks," he told Polazzi Vandenbroucke who had a date with a girl and left, after he said he would return the next day morning.

With no news of him, Polazzi attempted to contact his friend in his two mobile phones, without success, until the police called him to announce his death and asked to identify their clothes. Vandenbroucke's body was found in a room of the "Blue House", an establishment located three miles from his hotel, where he had arrived early with her.

An eternal promise of cycling

Vandenbroucke was full of talented rider stunned the cycling world in the late '90s when classic earned through rushing attacks that left anchored to the rest of the pack, but also a man involved in family problems and drug him away major sporting success.

Born on 6 November 1974 in Mouscron, Belgium's began his career in 1994 by the hand of his uncle Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke, then sporting director of the Lotto team.

In the next six years, Vandenbroucke he built a great track record of more than 50 victories, especially in the Mapei, who won the mythical evidence as the Paris-Nice, Liège-Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Brussels.

At the peak of his career just 25 years, Vandenbroucke landed in 1999 at the Cofidis team, sharing leadership with David Millar and complete his victory last year. The great moment of his career came in the Tour of Spain this season, winning two stages, one in Avila, leaving an impressive history to attack along the ramparts of the city.

By then they had come into her life the first formal accusations of doping, starting a downhill away from him forever victories even though, from 2000 until her final retirement on Aug. 31, tried greening laurels in eight different teams.

Indeed in 2000 he was admitted with depression, although the beginning of the end came two years later, when police found EPO, morphine and clenbuterol during a search of his home. Vandenbroucke initially said the drugs were for his dog, but eventually admitted his guilt and was punished.

He began recording a series of disparate events and spread over the following years. In that same 2002 was caught driving drunk in Belgium at a rate three times the permitted and two years after police had to intervene at home because the 'enfant terrible' of cycling had fired into the air with a shotgun while discussing with his woman.

Their vain attempts to lift his dual careers with new suspicions of doping at a time when the police and their records were the main protagonists in the world of cycling, over sporting prowess of cyclists.

Both collapsed setback Vandenbroucke, who in 2007 tried to commit suicide in Italy while serving in the Acqua e Sapone-Caffé Mokambo. That was yet another incident before in his memoir recounting his problems with his divorce and drugs.

Also a Spanish rider with drug Jose Maria Jimenez, Chava, died at age 32.

Experts warn that doping with steroids leads to dependency esterioides like drugs, which some athletes use when they leave their activity to overcome the withdrawal, in a deadly trap.

Belgium, shocked by the death of cyclist

The death of 34 Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke in circumstances still unknown has shocked the country, where this tragic event accounts for the vast majority of front pages.

"Death of a star fucking", "Vandenbroucke has left us" or "Vandenbroucke dead" are some of the headlines today highlight this event.

Although not yet clarified the circumstances of this tragedy, some newspapers have likened to the death of Vandenbroucke with another myth of cycling, Italy's Marco Pantani, who in 2004 was found dead in his hotel room in Rimini , also 34, after suffering a cocaine overdose.