Weylandt dies

TV footage showed the 26-year-old lying on the ground and bleeding heavily from his head after falling off his bike on the descent from the Passo del Bocco.

Race doctor Giovanni Tredici revealed the battle to save Weylandt's life had been a desperate struggle by the roadside with Weylandt suffering multiple injuries including to his skull.

"The attempts to revive the rider lasted 45 minutes," he said.

"I was the first to intervene, I reached the scene barely 30 seconds after he had crashed, and I was quickly joined by other experts, including a team doctor.

"But the situation was very serious, we could not do anything despite our best efforts."

Zomegnan refused to reveal exact details of how the accident happened, saying it was being investigated by a magistrate who was talking to riders who had witnessed Weylandt's fatal crash.

He did say they had kept news of his death secret for a short time so that family members could be informed.

Reports had suggestted that Weylandt's left pedal had locked, leaving the rider unable to prevent himself from tumbling around 20 metres off the side of the road.

The lie of the land made it difficult for the emergency helicopter to reach him and airlift him to hospital for treatment.

Doctors at the scene cut off his helmet and performed CPR treatment but in vain.

Helmets have been mandatory in cycling since the death of Kazakhstan's Andrei Kivilev during the Paris-Nice race in 2003. Italian Thomas Casarotto died following a crash during last year's Giro del Friuli.

The last rider to die in a crash in a Grand Tour was Italy's Fabio Casartelli during the 1995 Tour de France.

Weylandt claimed his biggest career win when he won the third stage of last year's Giro.

"Today, our team mate and friend Wouter Weylandt passed away after a crash on the 3rd stage of the Giro d’Italia," Leopard-Trek General Manager Brian Nygaard said in a statement.

"The team is left in a state of shock and sadness and we send all our thoughts and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wouter.

"This is a difficult day for cycling and for our team, and we should all seek support and strength in the people close to us. "

The results from Tuesday's fourth stage are unlikely to count with riders planning a tribute.

"We will respect whatever decision the riders and Wouter's team, Leopard-Trek, will take," race director Angelo Zomegnan told a news conference.

"It is up to them to decide. But there will be no festive music or the usual celebrations, whatever happens. This is a press conference I wish I had never had to give."

Traditionally after a death in a race, a minute's silence is held at the start of the following day, the peloton will tackle the stage at a slow pace and the deceased rider's team mates come to the front of the bunch for the final kilometre.

The process is known as neutralisation.