Wolfgang Rieke, 63, obtained a four-year jail time period on Monday for the crash that claimed the lifetime of former professional bicycle owner Davide Rebellin in 2022.
Witnesses mentioned they noticed Rieke cease and exit his Volvo truck after hitting Rebellin whereas he was using in Montebello Vicentino on November 30, 2022. The German then fled, resulting in a multi-country search with authorities from Italy, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
Rieke lastly turned himself in to the police in Münster, Germany in June of 2023. He was extradited to Italy the place he was charged with vehicular murder in Italy and held in a jail in Vicenza for his trial.
The choose within the case rejected a number of makes an attempt at a plea deal by Rieke’s attorneys – capturing down an preliminary two-year and 11-month plea cut price, then a second three-year and 11-month plea for home arrest in February.
The case was delayed when Rieke suffered a stroke in May and was hospitalized in critical situation.
The German’s case wasn’t his first offence. He pled responsible in 2001 to a non-fatal hit-and-run incident in Foggia, though he escaped punishment because of the statute of limitations. In 2014, he was charged with drunk driving in Chieti.
Rieke reportedly completed his supply in Berlin after fleeing the scene of Rebellin’s demise.
Rebellin had solely retired from racing six weeks earlier than his demise, competing from his childhood by way of to the age of 51. His final race was the Veneto Classic the place he completed twenty ninth.
A winner of the Ardennes triple in 2004, Rebellin claimed victory in La Flèche Wallonne 3 times however picked up his first wins in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Amstel Gold race in that yr. He additionally received the general in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.
His profession was interrupted when he examined optimistic for the EPO drug CERA and was stripped of his Olympic silver medal in 2008. After the ban, the doorways of the WorldTour have been closed and he accepted a second profession racing for lower-tier groups resembling Meridiana Kamen, CCC Polsat and his ultimate outfit, Work Service Vitalcare Vega.
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Obituary: Davide Rebellin, a life on two wheels