LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Live video of the Wouter Weylandt crash aired Monday as Weylandt descended the Passo del Bocco. Now that video is at the center of an ordered inquest into Weylandt’s cause of death. Wouter Weylandt was being broadcasted live across European TV video channels as he descended through the Passo del Bocco pass. Weylandt was en route from the town of Reggio Emilia to Rapallo near Genoa.

It was a route that Wouter Weylandt knew very well.

Today marked the stage three route of the Giro d’Italia, a stage that we won last year. But while initial details about a foot pedal hitting a wall dominated news earlier, officials still do not have a cause of today’s crash.

Upon news of the crash, Giro d’Italia race director Angelo Zomegnan held a news conference in Rapallo. Wouter Weylandt’s partner Sophie is pregnant with the couple’s child. Zomegnan told news that confirmation of Wouter Weylandt’s death was delayed until Sophie could be informed first that the beloved Leopard Trek rider had died.

Zomegnan told news today “We didn’t want to announce the news of the death before the family informed his wife of what had happened, because she was driving home at the time and she would have found out by listening to the radio.”‘

Wouter Weylandt Pictures Set 1
Wouter Weylandt Photo 1
Wouter Weylandt Photo 2
Wouter Weylandt Photo 3
Wouter Weylandt Photo 4

The video was being broadcast live on Italian TV and being rebroadcast across other channels when the crash happened. While Zomegnan confirmed the video did not show the point of impact, it did depict the location of the fall. That video footage along with witness testimony of the closest riders will now assist an inquest by Italian officials. Video footage appearing online was swiftly removed Monday, except from German and Australian websites.

The first person on scene, depicted in the footage, was race doctor Giovanni Tredici. Tredici would not confirm the injuries in today’s news conference. But he did confirm to news that immediate attempts at resuscitation lasted 45 minutes. Tredici told news that mobile resuscitation began roughly two minutes after the crash. Officials claim that Weylandt’s heart had “stopped beating” immediately following the crash.

Wouter Weylandt Pictures Set 2
Wouter Weylandt Photo 5
Wouter Weylandt Photo 6
Wouter Weylandt Photo 7
Wouter Weylandt Photo 8

The footage may also answer questions for the future, namely how to airlift inquired riders in such circumstances. Officials confirmed to news that they attempted to airlift Weylandt to a local hospital but had difficulty locating a landing for their medical helicopter.

Officials told news that the biggest witness might be RadioShack rider Manuel Cardoso. While video footage shows a series of cars just feet away from Weylandt at the time of the crash, Cardoso was reportedly the closest.

Team press agent Philippe Maertens tells news that Weylandt was 50m from Cardoso when he crashed. Cardoso reportedly told Maertens that Weylandt had slowed back from a previous group. Weylandt reportedly looked behind at Cardoso’s group moments before his crash. “While looking behind he hit with his left pedal or left side of his handlebars a small wall and was catapulted to the other side of the road where he hit again something” Cardoso tells news.

Garmin-Cervélo team manager Bingen Fernandez told news that the descent was very difficult at that spot. Fernandez said however that the location of the crash was not a corner.

Cyclist David Millar who eventually won the stage told news today that “It was one of the million things that we have to go through. Our sport is very tragic at times, it has been throughout its history.”

An inquest has been schedule, Zomegnan remarked today. “Magistrates will work to establish the dynamics of the event, and this reconstruction will take place by talking to riders close who were close to Wouter at that moment”.