Should We Retire Race Numbers?

In the weeks following Wouter Weylandt's death, the 108 that he wore as his race number has not been used. The Giro d'Italia has permanently retired that number, and other races have wanted to follow. However, the Belgian Cycling Federation is against this: (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/belgian-federation-calls-for-continued-use-of-race-number-108)

Belgian Federation calls for continued use of race number 108

The Belgian cycling federation has spoken out against the retirement of race number 108, saying it won't bring back Wouter Weylandt. The KBWB said that the number would be assigned in the national road race on Sunday and called on other races to follow suit.

Weylandt was wearing 108 when he died as the result of a crash in the third stage of this year's Giro d'Italia. That race has permanently retired the number.

The race number 108 was not assigned at Wednesday's Halle-Ingooigem race, “as a token of homage” to Weylandt, the race organiser said.

"It has to stop,” Freddy Van Steen of the KBWB said, according to sporza. “In this way Weylandt's death is always brought up again. That is why the federation will not do it.”

Only the kermis races in East Flanders will run without the number this number for the rest of the year, he said.

Ironically, the number will not be worn in Sunday's race. It was assigned to Sep Vanmarcke of Garmin-Cervelo, who will not be riding due to injuries.

Besides, in each race a rider has a different number. This year, when I rode in the Tour de Cure, I was 429; next year I'll have a different number. Its not like you are retiring his only number, like in baseball or basketball.

However, my question for the superstitious riders: will 108 become like 13? A number that must be worn upside down to stop the bad luck?

There are other ways of honoring fallen riders, though. For example, Ghent, Belgium has made a memorial for 3 of its riders: (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/memorial-to-weylandt-de-fauw-and-nolf-dedicated-in-ghent)

Memorial to Weylandt, De Fauw and Nolf dedicated in Ghent

The town of Ghent, Belgium remembered three of its fallen cyclists today: Wouter Weylandt, Dimitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf, each of whom died in the past two years.

Hundreds of cyclists, friends and family of the riders gathered in Sint-Pietersplein today before riding 10 kilometres to the memorial for its unveiling on the Zonneputtragel in Zwijnaarde, HLN.be reported.

Attendees included An-Sophie De Graeve, the girlfriend of Weylandt as well as Belgian champion Stijn Devolder.

The memorial sits aside the bike path that runs along the Schelde canal, near the sprint point of the weekly club ride where Weylandt often demonstrated his speed.

Weylandt was the most recent tragic victim of the sport. The 26-year-old from the Leopard Trek team crashed in the Giro d'Italia and died instantly from head trauma.

De Fauw, formerly of Quick Step and Chocolade Jacques, committed suicide at age 28 in November, 2009, having suffered depression since being involved in an accident at the Ghent Six Day in 2006 which claimed the life of Spaniard Isaac Galvez.

Nolf, from Kortrijk, was just getting his professional career started with Topsport Vlaanderen when he died in his sleep at the Tour of Qatar on February 5, 2009 of an apparent heart attack. Nolf's parents refused an autopsy, so the exact cause of his death at age 21 was never determined.