Tino Haakman (right in the photo) has been in disarray for two days now due to the news of the death of Mark Groeneveld. The 20-year-old Enkhuizen resident died suddenly yesterday in Hong Kong. Haakman knew West Frisian well. “This is really a pile of misery.”
The cyclist of the continental Canadian team XSpeed United suddenly collapsed on Monday, probably due to a heart attack, his team reports. He participated in the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Suddenly
Haakman, who is himself active for the West-Frisia cycling association, heard the news about the young cyclist yesterday morning. “I am in contact with the family,” he tells NH over the phone. “This is really terrible, a twenty-year-old boy dying so suddenly.”
Haakman, who also lives in Enkhuizen, was in contact with Groeneveld on Sunday. “We talked about West Frisia. We still need some riders there for next year. He also cycles with us, he rode for us a few times last year.”
“He was really someone who lived for cycling, cycling was everything to him”
According to Haakman, Groeneveld was a quiet boy with a lot of knowledge. “He was really someone who lived for cycling, that was everything for him. Mark was someone who didn’t do crazy things, he lived for the sport. He never went out, for example.”
Character
In addition to being a dedicated rider, the twenty-year-old also had a lot of talent, Haakman saw. “He was one of the fastest riders in North Holland, I think few could get to the finish with him (in a sprint, ed.).” Groeneveld regularly faced setbacks. “He experienced a lot of falls. But Mark had a very good character, so he didn’t care about that.”
The experienced rider sympathizes with Groeneveld’s family. “It really is a horror. He is still in Hong Kong, so it will take a while before he gets here. I have been out of the riot for two days, you can rest assured that.”
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