Franck Vandenbroucke attempts suicide

Unknown
edited June 2007 in Pro race
Cyclingnews are reporting here that Franck Vandenbroucke has attempted suicide at home in Italy. His condition is reported to be 'grave'.

Thus continues his troubled life. Poor sod. [V]

Comments

  • Poor b*gger. It's Pantani and Jiminez all over again.

    TdG
  • Terrible news. I thought he sounded quite chipper last time he was interviewed.

    [:(]
  • That's sad. I hope he pulls through. Mental illness in top professional cyclists is more common than it should be.

    ________Our behaviour is a function of our experience.
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    Doesn't surprise me. For years he seems to have been quite delusional about his future as a professional rider.

    <font color="black">london</font id="black"><font color="red">phoenix</font id="red"><font color="black">.co.uk</font id="black">
  • The report here is that Frank's life is not in danger now. I wonder what he did?

    http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/ ... spital.php

    From velonews.com <i> "Acqua e Sapone spokesman Ivan de Paolis said: "Frank has been abandoned. He no longer has a wife, he lives alone. Only the team is by his side."

    Only months ago, Vandenbroucke's lawyer was so anxious over his depressive state that he feared that he might suffer the same fate as Marco Pantani, the Tour de France winner who died of a cocaine overdose. " </i>


    ________Our behaviour is a function of our experience.
  • isn't it ironic that he tried to commit suicide by taking pills?

    *sigh*. As previously posted, it's certainly Pantani and Jiminez again.

    tea is good
  • Mr Bumble
    Mr Bumble Posts: 572
    So very sad[V]

    I always warmed to Vandenbrouke as a rider. Loved his riding on a license with a diferent name.....

    Why do so many stare into the black glass of the heart of darkness[?]

    Really hope he pulls himself out of it.
  • Rob Sallnow
    Rob Sallnow Posts: 6,279
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Timoid</i>

    Poor b*gger. It's Pantani and Jiminez all over again.

    TdG
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    And Thierry Claveyrolat.

    I'd rather walk than use Shimano.

    The older I get, the better my power to weight ratio was.
    I'd rather walk than use Shimano
  • ashbyalien
    ashbyalien Posts: 609
    it is a sad affair.

    for all his misdemeanours in the past i wish him well for the future.

    <font size="1"><font color="red">www.myspace.com/sfcv2</font id="red"></font id="size1">
  • The guy is a loser who give a f*** apart from winning LBL ages ago
    he is nothing but a drama queen.[:(][:(]
    I reached the decision to go on the offensive - to put a check on government abuse of power, where others had failed in stopping the federal juggernaut running amok

    Timothy McVeigh
  • Not called for.

    VDB is a troubled person and we should all be hoping things improve for him. He's got some real problems and it makes me so sad it's come to this.
  • ashbyalien
    ashbyalien Posts: 609
    i agree with iain, for someone to attempt suicide they must be in a bad state of mental health.

    i truely wish him well, for those who dont, i hope you never find yourselves in a similar state of depression/unhappiness.

    <font size="1"><font color="red">www.myspace.com/sfcv2</font id="red"></font id="size1">
  • Keith Oates
    Keith Oates Posts: 22,036
    Very sad to read the news, any illness is bad but it seems some don't appreciate the seriousness of mental illnesses!!

    Ride Daily, Keep Healthy

    Ride Daily, Keep Healthy
  • i believe there could be a huge pressure one VDB because he did not live up to the expectations put on him as a young prodigy-feeling a failure. As for his doping, who didn't? I still have respect for VDB and hope he puts cycling far behind him now. It's still shocking to think a rider with UCI world ranking of 3rd for the 1999 season has had his life come to this by 32

    ________Our behaviour is a function of our experience.
  • K Blackwell
    K Blackwell Posts: 1,539
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Feedingstationvolunteer</i>

    The guy is a loser who give a f*** apart from winning LBL ages ago
    he is nothing but a drama queen.[:(][:(]
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">I hope it never happens to you or someone in your family. You will then see the devastation it causes. A physical disease can be treated; it's much more difficult with mental illness.
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Feedingstationvolunteer</i>

    The guy is a loser who give a f*** apart from winning LBL ages ago
    he is nothing but a drama queen.[:(][:(]
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
    Don't feed the troll.

    http://tinyurl.com/332edp
    http://tinyurl.com/2nu7r3
  • reading through it, were it not for Masciarelli and the Aqua & Sapone team , Frank VDB would be dead. Looks like he's a substance abuser. It wouldn't surprise me if VDB is dead within the year though-its so similar to Pantani, one can only assume it involved Class A substances as well

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id= ... jun08news2



    ________Our behaviour is a function of our experience.
  • Yup, probably cocaine.
  • Cocaine, Amphetamines and sleeping pills, according to an interview his ex-wife gave to the gazzetta. It seems he did hit his wife on occasions, all of which makes us hope he's going to get proper help now.