Lieuwe Westra a.k.a "It Beest" death 😢

evil_breakfast
evil_breakfast Posts: 466
in Pro race


As above, it's being reported that Lieuwe has died, aged 40.
Can't find an English report; as all the reports are in Dutch.
40 is no age at all. RIP.
😢
You're the light wiping out my batteries; You're the cream in my airport coffee's.

Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    No way.
    ———
    Have just read some reports.


    Has been reported that “he was in a battle with himself”, which is a euphemism for suicide.

    May or may not be well known, but his problems with depression have been reported on before.

    Terrible. Only 40.
    _
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,553
    It's really sad to hear this. I think it was fairly well known that he was having issues with his mental health, so it's awful that this is the outcome. Thoughts are with his family and friends.

    He came very close to beating Wiggins at Paris-Nice in 2012, things could have been very different for both if that result had changed.
  • stage_hunter
    stage_hunter Posts: 317
    RIP - and rarely have I meant the peace bit more. From the little I saw, a lovely guy
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,572
    Very sad, far too young.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Sad indeed
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,632
    Cycling podcast has Friebe talking to the guy who wrote Westra's book with him - gives some more background on his struggles earlier in his life and again the last few years.
    V sad and shows how fragile the line can be between doing ok (or seeming that way to the outside world) and falling into a bad way.
  • evil_breakfast
    evil_breakfast Posts: 466
    yorkshireraw said:

    Cycling podcast has Friebe talking to the guy who wrote Westra's book with him - gives some more background on his struggles earlier in his life and again the last few years.

    Thanks for the heads up on that; I'll give it a listen.
    You're the light wiping out my batteries; You're the cream in my airport coffee's.
  • evil_breakfast
    evil_breakfast Posts: 466
    https://audioboom.com/posts/8233078-touching-the-void-or-down-under-pressure

    The Westra 'segment' starts at 45 minutes in.
    You're the light wiping out my batteries; You're the cream in my airport coffee's.

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