SPANISH CYCLIST XAVIER TONDO, has died following a freak accident at his home in Grenada, Spain yesterday.

The 32-year-old Movistar rider was crushed between his car and a garage door as he prepared to leave for in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A spokesperson for the Spanish Civil Guard said that “it appears” that Tondo died instantly.

The Associated Press also reports spokesman Juan Carlos Lopez as confirming that the cyclist was trying to open the garage when the car rolled forward and pinned him against the door.

Benat Intxausti, another professional cyclist, was also in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The pair are believed to have been scheduled to train together with Alejandro Valverde later that morning.

Movistar team manager Eusebio Unzue explained that despite the tragedy, the team would not be withdrawing from the remainder of the Giro d’Italia as they were convinced that Tondo would have wanted them to finish the race.

“We decided the best thing to do would be to honour Xavi on the bike,” said Unzue yesterday.

The rest of the team will be with his relatives at the funeral but we’re convinced Xavi would have liked us to keep on racing.

Tondo was heralded in cycling circles as one of the leaders of the sport’s anti-doping movement after he co-operated with police investigators following approaches from dopers who had offered him prohibited substances.