Stive Vermaut

Stive Vermaut (22 October 1975 – 30 June 2004) was a Belgian cyclist.

Cycling career

Vermaut was born in Ostend. He turned professional in 1998 with the team Vlaanderen 2002–Eddy Merckx, after riding with them as a stagiaire the previous year. In 1999, he won a stage of the Circuit des Mines and placed sixth in the Circuito Montañés and Cholet-Pays de Loire, ninth in the Tour de l'Avenir, and tenth in the Grand Prix de Wallonie and the Deutschland Tour. In 2000, he joined the American team U.S. Postal Service, led by Belgian Johan Bruyneel. In 2001, he joined the Belgian team Lotto–Adecco. He participated in the Tour de France, where he finished 36th overall.

With heart problems early in the 2002 season, he was forced to stop cycling. Medical examinations revealed that he suffered from tachyarrhythmia and the right part of his heart was overdeveloped. The team's doctor declared him unfit to ride. In July, Vermaut received word from another doctor that he was fit to ride again. He joined Palmans–Collstrop for the remainder of the season, but ended his career at the end, as new problems were arising.

Death

In June 2004, Vermaut was transported unconscious to Roeselare Hospital following a heart attack. He died there a few days later of a brain haemorrhage.

The Omloop van de Westhoek was renamed Omloop van de Westhoek-Memorial Stive Vermaut later that year.