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A rare and aggressive type of bone cancer
On Friday evening, the cycling world said goodbye to young Belgian cyclist Jilke Michelsen, who died aged just 19 after a long battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer.
“No complaints, just enjoy life.”
The news of his death was announced on his official Instagram account with a touching message that read:
The promising talent stalled early
Michelsen has been one of the most popular talents in Belgian cycling, having been crowned the 2022 Belgian road champion in the women’s rookie category.
He also won the Belgian championship title in the track aluminum race and won the Belgian championship in the novice time trial in the second year in 2023.
But his promising sports career stopped 3 years ago when he was diagnosed with a malignant disease.
Courage to the end
Despite the illness, Gilke continued his studies in biomedical sciences at the University of Antwerp, successfully completing it, fighting the hardest battle of his life.
The Belgian Lotto-Intermarché team has published a striking statement
The treatment was stopped in the last days
Earlier this May, the young cyclist revealed he had to stop chemotherapy after his body failed to produce enough blood cells to cope with the treatment, bravely saying: “My body can’t take it anymore.”
