Races all over Europe are having a moment of silence to honor the memory of Annefleur Kalvenhaar, 20-years-old, who tragically died from her injuries sustained in the qualifying rounds of the XC Eliminator at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Méribel.
Annefleur Kalvenhaar was a U23 Dutch cyclocross and XC racer showing enoumous potential. Photo credit Hans905 on flickr.
Kalvenhaar had been competitively cycling since she was 13, and quickly discovered cyclocross soon after. An extremely promising rider, Kalvenhaar is the current European U23 Cyclocross Champion. In 2012 as a junior, she was the Dutch champion in both cyclocross and mountain biking.
Christine Vardaros, our European contributor, informed us that the accident took place during a jump on the course. She was flown from the course to the hospital by helicopter after her fall, but died Saturday morning.
The cycling community is devastated by the news of a rider taken from us far too early, compounding the heartbreak that is still with us from Amy Dombroski’s tragic accident that took place less than a year ago. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
