--> Gallery: Andrei Kivilev
When the 2003 Tour de France started, I wondered how Andrei Kivilev was doing and whether he was in this year's tour. The night of the day that I found out Roman Lyashenko was killed, I went on the internet and cruelly found out that Andre Kivilev had died prematurely on a bike race in March 2003. What a dark discovery that was as everything around me seemed to have something to do with death. I will always remember Kivilev as the rider who finished fourth in a Tour de France not long ago, behind Lance Armstrong, Jan Ulrich, and Joseba Beloki. In fact, Kivilev was ahead of Beloki for a week or so before Beloki caught Kivilev in the final time trial. Kivilev's 4th place was an example of how a long group breakaway in a rainy day in between the mountain stages can propell a rider high up in the overall classifications. Sadly, Kivilev cannot ride the bike he loves any longer on earth anyways. But his compatriot, Alexandre Vinokourouv seems inspired as he went on to win the tragic Paris-Nice race, the Amstel Gold race, the Tour de Suisse, and a 3rd place in the Tour de France- one place higher than Kivilev's finish.
Images courtesy of:
http://www.letour.fr/stf/parisnice/2003/us/etape_07.html
Vinokourov victorious at the tragic Paris-Nice race
Rest In Peace, Andrei Kivilev
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