Report courtesy of “Het Laatste Nieuws” (translated by the Belgian Project) Photos from Martine Verfaillie, and Tuur’s social media pages.
Hancke died unexpectedly yesterday, right on his nineteenth birthday, possibly from meningitis, his father Regis told HLN. The promising rider had been riding for The Lead Out Cycling Academy, a development team of more than 200 young riders, since 2022. “Always respectful, always cheerful, loved by everyone. Unfortunately, there is no more time left together to create new memories,” the team wrote on social media, where it announced the news of Hancke’s death. “Tuur’s sudden death is a great source of despair in our team,” says director Arne Houtekier. “Certainly the boys who rode in the same youth category with him are very affected. They trained together and went on internships together: that creates a bond that goes beyond just fellow riders.” Hancke stopped cycling at the end of last month. A rational choice, Houtekier indicates. “He stopped at the end of last season for personal reasons. Tuur realized that he was not the person who would be seen in the professional peloton in a few years. The combination with his higher studies, which he had started two years ago, was gradually becoming too heavy. The intensity of training and competitions is quite high in our team and every year we see promising riders drop out for that reason.”
