This afternoon of Saturday August 5, David Palmieri will remember it. Licensed from the Chalonnais Cyclo Club (CCC), like Dimitri Ragaine, he had lined up with his comrade and another teammate (Maximilien Douvre) for the Villereversure cycling prize (Ain). But the event very quickly took a dramatic turn: “We were attacking the second lap when there was a fall in the peloton, rather towards the back. I saw it was Dimitri. We saw him on the ground, he was in poor condition and we immediately understood, ”confirms David Palmieri who went directly to meet him.
Another runner, a doctor, notices that the Chalonnais is in cardiorespiratory arrest and gives him a massage. Despite multiple efforts for an hour on the part of the practitioner and the emergency services, the death will be announced. The race is immediately stopped and the street closed.
“The organization has been exemplary and we have had many messages of support. It is a terrible tragedy. I think very strongly of his wife and his three children, ”continues with great emotion Michel Durot, the president of the CCC.
Road cycling, mountain biking, running and triathlon… “He was super active”
Reached by telephone this Sunday morning, the leader paid tribute to a “pillar” of the club who had just celebrated his 42nd birthday: “Dimitri was a bit of a super-active. He wanted to do a lot of things and loved to help out when he had a demanding job. [artisan menuisier à Saint-Désert]. He was in charge of the club’s communication and he was crazy about cycling. He did road cycling, mountain biking, gravel biking. He didn’t stop. David Palmieri adds: “He was a very good guy, adorable, very helpful. A bon vivant, passionate. »
At the same time, he had joined the Chalon triathlon club (CTC) two years ago: “He had set himself a challenge, that of learning to swim. He laughed about it, remembers Jean-Michel Bourcier, the president of the CTC. On the other hand, it drove very hard and ran well. I had known him for ten years now. It’s hard. He was complete, honest and very appreciated. Many people in Chalon know “the Sun”. »
