Rome (AFP) - Former Italian cycling champion Davide Rebellin has died aged 51 after a hit-and-run collision between his bike and a truck in the Venice region.
One of the finest classics racers of his generation, Rebellin won seven of cycling's major one day races.
In 2004, he was the first rider to sweep the Ardennes Classics treble of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Fleche Wallone and Amstel Gold.
He also won the Fleche in 2007 and 2009 as well as classics in San Sebastian and Zurich, both in 1997.
He took part in 19 Grand Tours including 12 Giro d'Italia.
"This is an infinitely sad day for all those who cycling," Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme said.
Lotto-Soudal general manager John Lelangue said he was stupefied by the news.
"I just can't believe it.He was with us Sunday night at the Monte Carlo Criterium dinner," he said.
FDJ chief Marc Madiot compared Rebellin to a choirboy.
"He was a really nice guy.Polite, reserved, never a word out of place, he lived like a monk or a choirboy," said Madiot, who managed him in the late 90's.
"Once, after a training camp we had a bit of a party that got out of hand, but he didn't even have a single drink."
Seven-time Tour de France King of the Mountains Richard Virenque also remembered him kindly.
"He was a lovely, loyal person and we shared some wonderful moments together," said Virenque.
Rebellin was stripped of his Olympic road race silver medal from the Beijing Games after returning a positive test for the blood-booster EPO Cera.
Rebellin's positive came months after the end of the Beijing Games in 2008, during a re-testing campaign.
Italian media reported his death Wednesday saying he was killed instantly at a roundabout in a collision with a truck that left the scene without stopping.
Rebellin raced on until last year in the lower divisions and is remembered by his family as someone "who lived to ride his bike".
