Mysterious death

Ex-Katyusha pro cyclist dies at just 34!

Alexei Zatevich(Bild: AFP)

Sadness and dismay in the cycling world at the untimely death of Alexei Zatevich! The Russian, a former professional on the Katyusha team, died at the age of just 34. Nothing is known about the cause of death, even the Cycling Federation of Russia, which announced the sad news of Zatevich's passing, kept a low profile ... 

The Russian had joined Itera, Katyusha's junior team, as a professional in the 2011 season and was promoted to the pro team based in the World Tour a year later. Zatevich's successes include winning the one-day race Le Samyn in Belgium (2013) as well as stage wins at the Lombardy Week (2013) and the Tour of Catalonia (2016).

The Russian's decline began with a scandal at the 2016 Giro d'Italia, when he was first penalized by the race organizers for slipstreaming in an individual time trial and then "sent home" by his own team.

At the end of the season, his contract with Katyusha was not renewed and he moved to Gazprom-Rusvelo. But even there he was not happy in the long term - after a year, his commitment to the team and his career as a professional cyclist were over ...