MADRID, 25 October 2004 — Spanish cyclist Jokin Ormaetxea of the Paternina-Costa de Almeria team has died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash near the Basque city of San Sebastian early yesterday.
Fellow professional Joseba Albizu of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, who was driving the car, was seriously injured but his life was not in danger according to the Basque Department of Interior.
Spanish media reported that the accident occurred when the car turned over after leaving the road near the town of Deba. The two cyclists were taken to hospital in San Sebastian and 24-year-old Ormaetxea, who became a professional earlier this year, died soon after.
