Former Pro Cyclist Dies in Indonesian Plane Crash
Former Pro Cyclist Among Indonesian Plane Crash Victims
Andrea Manfredi, 26, was on board the Lion Air flight that crashed into the Java Sea.
By Jacob Meschke Published: Oct 29, 2018
Bardiani-CS//Twitter
The tragedy of an Indonesian passenger plane that crashed into the ocean on Monday, leaving little chance of survival for all 189 people aboard, has reached the cycling community.
Andrea Manfredi, a 26-year-old former pro rider from Massa, Italy, was aboard Lion Air Flight JT 610 when it crashed into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff, according to reports. Manfredi's former UCI Continental team, Bardiani-CSF, announced his death on Monday, and the Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed his place among the deceased passengers to multiple Italian and Indonesian newspapers.
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"Management, athletes, staff, and team sponsors express their condolences to the family and to all those dear to Andrea," the team said in a post on its website. "The memory of a serious guy in love with his sport will remain indelible in the minds of all those who, in these years, have had the good fortune to know him. Rest in peace, Andrea."
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Manfredi raced at an elite level for about eight years. He spent the 2013 season with now-defunct Ceramica Flaminia-Fondriest team and the following two seasons with Bardiani-CSF. He finished third overall at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta in 2012 and fifth overall at the Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2013. In 2015, he left the professional road circuit to launch Sportek, a bike technology company.
According to Milanese newspaper Corriere della Sera, Manfredi left Italy on October 17 for "a new cycling adventure," and was due to return a few days after the crash occurred. His Instagram account documents travels in East Asia as early as October 19, when he posted about a visit to Hong Kong. Several other posts place him in Indonesia over the past three days, including three photos posted Sunday of Manfredi biking in Jakarta, where Flight JT 610 took off.
Indonesian authorities are still searching for passengers across a wide crash zone several miles off the coast of Java. The routine 6:30 a.m. flight was 13 minutes into an hour-long trip to the Indonesian city of Pangkal Pinang when the pilot asked for permission to turn back. Shortly after, air traffic controllers saw a sharp drop in altitude before the plane disappeared from radar. Indonesian authorities say survivors are unlikely.
Jacob Meschke
Jacob joined Runner's World and Bicycling as an editorial fellow after graduating from Northwestern University in 2018, where he studied journalism. His work focuses mainly on news and service pieces for both audiences, with the occasional foray into longer feature work and product reviews. He especially loves to highlight the journeys of unique runners and riders doing amazing things in their communities.
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