Kazakhstan cyclist Andrei Kivilev, who fell into a coma following his fall in the second stage of the Paris-Nice classic yesterday, has died.
The 29-year-old leader of the Cofidis team sustained serious head injuries after colliding with another rider around 40 km from the finish of the stage between La Clayette and Saint-Etienne.
He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Kivilev underwent surgery at the Saint-Etienne hospital overnight but his condition worsened and he died in the early hours of the morning.
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He is the first cyclist to die in competition since Spanish sprinter Manuel San Roma in the Tour de Catalunya in 1999.
Kivilev finished fourth in the Tour de France in 2001.