Europe 1 with AFP 6:44 p.m., January 15, 2023

Former Dutch cyclist Lieuwe Westra, nicknamed "the Beast" for his strong style, died at the age of 40 after long suffering from depression, his biographer and Dutch media reported on Sunday.

Former Dutch rider Lieuwe Westra died on Saturday at the age of 40.

His body was found in his office on Saturday near the town of Enkhuizen (north-west), said Omrop Fryslan radio.

“It was too late for any attempt at resuscitation,” the same source added.

"Lieuwe Westra, 40, died on Saturday afternoon," his biographer Thomas Sijtsma said on Twitter.

“For the past few years, the former rider has fought a battle with himself and lost it,” Sijtsma lamented, adding, “Rest in peace, Beast.”

Born in 1982, Westra turned professional in 2009 when he joined the Vacansoleil team.

He had won his first stage victory and the general classification of the Tour de Picardie the same year.

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Known on a Paris-Nice

His first stage victory in a World Tour event dates from 2012 in the Paris-Nice with a second place overall behind Briton Bradley Wiggins.

The same year, the Dutch rider had won the Tour of Denmark.

Stage victories in the Tour of Catalonia and Criterium du Dauphiné followed in 2014 and Westra also helped Vincenzo Nibali win the Tour de France that year.

His very powerful style and his stubbornness earned him his nickname.

He had unexpectedly retired from professional racing in 2017.

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victim of depression

"Westra had then motivated his decision by personal reasons. He had confided the previous autumn to suffer from depression due in particular to a sentimental failure while wondering about his career as a cyclist", specified the Dutch national agency. PNA.

Westra also admitted in a biography published in 2018 to having used cortisone, a substance prohibited by anti-doping regulations.

"I injected it to go faster, to win prizes and receive compliments," he confessed.

“You had to set limits on what was acceptable to fight with the best”.