I haven’t touched on this yet, and for awhile, I wasn’t really sure why. A blog about cycling not talking about such a tragedy, it just doesn’t make sense.

But the truth is, what is there to say? Death is tragic enough, certainly. When it happens at a sporting event, it’s just as sobering, and it’s just as tragic.

Whether it be the Tour de France, or Hillsborough in ‘89, there just aren’t words.

When we as a global society watch sports, we do it for relaxation. We do it for entertainment. We do it for suspense, for joy, to be made happy and sad and pissed off and confused and despondent and non-plussed and knees-to-the-ground, hands-in-the-air overjoyed all at the same time.

Never do we — never should we — have to go to a Tour de France or an FA Cup match or a Super Bowl thinking that our lives might, at some point, be in jeopardy.

My heart goes out to the family of the victim, and to all involved in this terrible tragedy.

There are no words.