Thousands of triathletes were already in Nice last weekend when they received the news that Ironman Nice and Ironman 70.3 Nice had been cancelled due to extreme temperatures. Many of them decided to tackle the race on their own anyway – or at least unofficially ride the courses – but this decision has cost one athlete his life. A 42-year-old man died following a head-on collision with a motorcycle during a descent.
The local prefecture had strongly urged athletes not to tackle the course independently without Ironman’s supervision, emphasizing that the already hazardous roads would not be closed to traffic without an official race. Local authorities even threatened fines for athletes attempting to organize unofficial group events.
Despite the warnings, a large group of athletes decided to take to the roads together. Among them was the 42-year-old athlete, who reportedly crossed the center line into the oncoming lane during a technical descent, resulting in a head-on collision with a motorcycle. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time of writing, local police are investigating the fatal accident.
