Photos: Italian cyclist Michele Scarponi dies after being hit by van

Former Giro d'Italia winner Michele Scarponi has died at the age of 37.

Scarponi was training close to his home in Filottrano when he was involved in a collision with a van. The Italian had competed in the fifth stage of the Tour of the Alps on Friday, finishing fourth overall behind Geraint Thomas. He returned home to spend the evening with his wife and two sons before heading out to train on Saturday morning.

A statement from Scarponi's Astana team confirmed the tragic incident, reading: "This is a tragedy too big to be written." He posted a heartfelt image with his two sons on Twitter on Friday night.

...anche se solo per un giorno ho pensato di portarne a casa 2 di maglie da leader....👍🔝💪😍🔝 👬👕👕 pic.twitter.com/EYpS648e1i

— Michele Scarponi (@MicheleScarponi) April 21, 2017

Contrador was subsequently stripped off his title after being found guilty of a doping offence.
Scarponi claimed victory in stage one of the Tour of the Alps on Monday.
His sixth-place finish on Friday was enough to claim fourth overall, behind Team Sky's Thomas.
Thomas led the tributes to Scarponi, who joined Astana in 2014.