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THE UNTOLD STORY OF FRANK VANDENBROUCKE'S LIFE & DEATH | ANDY MCGRATH

with Andy McGrath

40:34·23 April 2024

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ANDY MCGRATH

Andy McGrath is the cycling journalist who has written the definitive modern biographies of three very different riders — Tom Simpson, Frank Vandenbroucke, and Tadej Pogačar. His Tom Simpson book won the 2017 William Hill Sports Book of the Year, the highest honour in British sportswriting, and his Vandenbroucke biography is the only credible English-language account of one of the sport's most tragic talents. As former editor of Rouleur and a long-form contributor to the Guardian and FT, he sits where most cycling fans wish they could — close enough to the riders for real access, far enough away to write honestly about them.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Frank Vandenbroucke turned pro at 19 in 1994 — entering cycling at its most chemically compromised moment. A pro of the era told Andy McGrath EPO's arrival was "like discovering the nuclear bomb."
In one junior season VDB won approximately 49% of all races he started. The "next Eddy Merckx" expectation was placed on him before he was old enough to weigh it.
1999 Liège-Bastogne-Liège: VDB announced his win to the press in advance, then delivered Ali-style. The high point of his career — and the moment Belgian press tipped from worship into scrutiny.
Sleeping-pill addiction mixed with alcohol from winter 1998 was the inflection point. The mental-health spiral pre-dated the public fall and accelerated faster than any PED could have driven.
VDB died in September 2009 in a Senegal hotel room, aged 34. Cause of death officially pulmonary embolism — the talent and the pressure outlasted the boy who'd been built into a god.

TOPICS

Andy McGrath, author of 'God Is Dead', joins us to explore the extraordinary life and tragic death of Frank Vandenbroucke—one of cycling's most talented and enigmatic figures. We delve into his spectacular victories, the immense pressure of being hailed as the 'next Eddy Merckx', the toxic culture of 1990s professional cycling, and the personal struggles that ultimately led to his downfall.

Key Takeaways

Vandenbroucke turned pro in 1994, one of the most toxic years in cycling history, when EPO and performance-enhancing drugs became rampant—creating an impossible choice for young riders between compromising their ethics or losing their careers
The Belgian media's intense scrutiny and the 'God' nickname created unsustainable expectations; going from celebrated hero to suspected cheater within weeks of his 1999 Liège-Bastogne-Liège win triggered a mental health crisis he never recovered from
His addiction to sleeping pills mixed with alcohol—starting in winter 1998—marked a turning point where his mental state spiraled faster than any performance-enhancing drug could have caused, revealing a deeper fragility beneath his charismatic exterior
Early psychological support could have changed his trajectory; he only began seeing a therapist (Jeff Browers) around 2000-2003, far too late to address the underlying issues driving his self-destructive behavior
The cycling culture of that era lacked basic duty of care for riders' mental health and well-being—a stark contrast to modern teams with dedicated sports psychologists and support staff

Expert Quotes

"No one will be the next Eddie Merckx because cycling has changed—you'll never win 500 races in your life. That's a ridiculous nickname and probably no poor Belgian teenager should be called the next Eddy Merckx. — Andy McGrath"

"He was like Mike Tyson before a bike race—filled with so much doubt beforehand, in tears, then he'd get into the race and destroy everyone. There was always this fragility we don't see now. — Andy McGrath"

"The bike was like a refuge for him—he was safe there. Everything else around it became more and more problematic."

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

Each tagged with the strength of evidence behind it.

EXPERT
Andy McGrath's biography "God Is Dead" examines the career and death of Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, who turned professional in 1994 at age 19 and was burdened from junior racing with the "next Eddy Merckx" label.
Source: Andy McGrath, interviewed on the Roadman Cycling podcast
STUDY
Vandenbroucke won approximately 49% of all races he started in one of his junior seasons — McGrath cites this as evidence of the genuinely exceptional ability that drove the "deity" expectation around him.
Source: Junior race results, summarised by Andy McGrath on the Roadman Cycling podcast
STUDY
Vandenbroucke famously announced his victory at the 1999 Liège- Bastogne-Liège to the press in advance, then delivered — the audacious Ali-style call became the high point of his career.
Source: 1999 Liège-Bastogne-Liège reporting, summarised on the Roadman Cycling podcast
EXPERT
McGrath identifies the winter of 1998 as the inflection point in Vandenbroucke's mental health, tied to combined sleeping-pill addiction and alcohol use that pre-dated his public fall.
Source: Andy McGrath, "God Is Dead", referenced on the Roadman Cycling podcast
STUDY
Vandenbroucke died in September 2009 in a hotel room in Senegal at age 34; the official cause of death was recorded as pulmonary embolism.
Source: Public reporting on Vandenbroucke's death, summarised on the Roadman Cycling podcast

KEY QUOTES

“there was one I think one junior year he won something like 49% of all the races he started half basically like that's pretty um unreal”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

“one Pro in in the '90s said to me it was you know like discovering the nuclear bomb that's when he turned Pro um EPO what's that”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

“no no human being no mortal should be made into a God Like a deity because have even further to fall when they inevitably don't win or or they or they disappoint um and it's a very dangerous thing when someone's built up especially at a very young age because vanderbrook was just a boy really when he turned Pro”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT8 SECTIONS

Introducing Frank Vandenbroucke's Story

Today I chat with Andy mcra he's the author of the book God Is Dead about the life of Frank vandenbrook today in this conversation we're going to explore Frank's prestigious talents we're going to explore the pressures of Fame of which there were many and his life beyond the pelaton The Temptations that lay outside the bike we're going to talk about that iconic victory in liaz Baston lier and the profound challenges he faced we're going to attempt to uncover the real story behind one of cycling's most enigmatic figures Andy welcome back to the road man podcast great to be here got my uh Amy De rub mug here with all the sectors from 12 down to the one in Ru the little clinker section that's one star so yeah fantastic to be back H we talked last time about Tom Simpson the life and death of Tom Simpson and it went down brilliant if anyone hasn't checked that out I'm going to I'll link it below and you can go and check it out but today we want to talk about a equally talented character and an equally tragic story in a lot of ways Frank vandenbrook why do you think he's such a compelling figure in the history of cycling well firstly I think for a certain age of cycling fan he is remarkable and Unforgettable because 30 years ago we're talking like we didn't have the Remos the Tad basically kids coming through from the junior ranks and starting to dominate like it was the age of of ringer muu indain good Champions who were who didn't say say that much to the Press either who didn't always ride with great panach like we know that in dur was a time tril monster and and then in in like into the scene you had vandon Brook coming turning pro he was the youngest pro I think since World War II he was 19 turned Pro on his uncle's team John Luke Vander Brook was also uh next to Eddie MKS which was a nickname that V Brook was settled with and he he had the Charisma he had the style he had the panach on the bike and he said there's one quote from a Belgian commentator who who said that in five minutes ven Brook said more to him gave him more than museu and vam did in in five years you know so and this this kind of this energy this feeling like around him built and it was the way he raced the way he tackled races was unusual exceptional you know he the way that he won Le B on Le age which this is kind of the race he's remembered most for his his only Monument win he did it like Muhammad Ali did it he he said where he would attack days beforehand and um he did that you know he he went up the road and he beat everyone comfortably it was kind of Pacha risk you know we can make that comparison now um but it just people we often hear people tagged with the the next Eddie MKS we've heard it time and time again but what has to happen in the early career for that to be a tributed to a ruer like what was ven Brook's early years like how dominant was he at underage Junior and U23 categories to get that moniker but number one you got to be Belgian uh to be settled with that that pressure like I've you know writing that book and The more I've been in the cycling World The more I've realized it's a ridiculous nickname and probably no no poor Belgian teenager should be called the next Edie MKS because no one will be the next Eddie MKS cycling has changed you'll never win 500 races in your life um Tempa well I was listening to to a different podcast um this morning and they said the he pagat referred to by Eddie M's family as little Eddie you know which is a funny kind of connection um you know he'll win probably 200 which is some going for a non non-s Sprinter but anyway sorry back to the question um Junior U23 he was exceptional and this is the thing B BR wasn't much of a sprinter he was okay like he had a decent kick so but he would win these 60k 50k 70k races as a teenager by one minute two minutes you know he'd there was one I think one junior year he won something like 49% of all the races he started half basically like that's pretty um unreal he was kind of helped that he was in the psyching Dynasty um his uncle John Luke had been the next Merks had raced against Ms had beaten Ms actually when he was young didn't quite live up to it like no one ever does his his father had briefly been a pro but he had to jack it all in

A Cycling Childhood in Belgium

Um just when he was like about to really start start racing cuz his father died and he had to become the parental Guardian to his younger brothers um so there was possibly an element of his dad vicariously living out his dream through Frank and his dad went on to become a mechanic for lotto um and various other teams too Sean Kelly's team for example um so Frank V grew up in this cycling environment he was immersed in it you know the Riders would stop off at the bar that his parents owned often sleep there you know drink there chat there and he was always getting the best kit you know as you would expect you know his dad doing him solid you know giving him the latest stuff but he had the talent and the application he loved he adored cycling and that's what you need isn't it like from from teenage teenage days when you're when you're dreaming you know that's the fundamentals and he had exceptional Talent so and in Belgium you've you've been there right like every town has their hero you know it could be the smallest name Rider but if you're Pro you're beloved and you had these people lifting him up you had the Belgian media looking so badly looking for the next Merks because when you think think about it like it hadn't been that long since Merks retired when vanderbrook came through it had been about 15 16 years which isn't I think back to we're talking 2010 aren't we that doesn't feel so so distant and and really it had fallen into disrepair compared to the great period they had in the 70s and 60s and even early 80s so they were Clinging On if you think about cand Andy now and as a if you were a parent with a child going into cycling now yeah sure you're worried about the obvious dangers of crashes and burnout and just your child being away from home but Frank went pro in 1994 you know we could debate all day about the most toxic year to turn pro but 94 was one of the most toxic years that you could ever turn professional in the history of cycling it was a high octane environment as described by some of the participants in it like Tyler Hamilton and George hppy it must have been terrifying for a parent to let a child loose into that environment and his dad would have had a bill of knowledge as to what was going on in cand in that period yeah he He Turned Pro like into the world West like in into like one one Pro in in the '90s said to me it was you know like discovering the nuclear bomb that's when he turned Pro um EPO what's that the great film I kind of prefer Barbie but they're both great um but no EPO was used for became rampant you know we know from people like Tyler and other people you've interviewed that it was an appalling time for a young young person older Pro to be in uh because it it was kind of they came to feel that if you didn't take these these drugs not not just EPO sometimes human human growth hormones steroids other things if you didn't take them you would be lost or in the back group and if you if you did that for one year or for two years everything you've worked for since your childhood is gone because you won't get like another contract um as for his parents I I would be surprised if they were under huge Illusions as to what was going on um his dad certainly was in this world like he'd been in cycling since the early 70s been a team mechanic um I can't speak of it him but he he wouldn't have been shocked he may have had some knowledge of what was going on for sure um but I I know that most parents certainly nowadays would not want their children turning pro in that era and certainly wouldn't want their children now putting a needle in their arm or transfusing blood or any of the Sinister ghoulish stuff that has has gone in has gone on in the past when you CH the guys from that era there's this period after they become aware of performance enhancing drugs but before they decide to cross the line and take performance enhancing drugs and often they wrestle internally with this moral dilemma should I stay on the side of good and walk away from my dreams and aspirations or should I cross to the side of evil and continue this somewhat double life for the public are unaware but privately a lot of your friends know what's going on was there a sense that he wrestled with his Consciousness in that in those moments it's of to say like um but I think cycling in the '90s was a moral maze

Turning Pro in a Toxic Era

So you describe it as as evil but they certainly people who who were cheating did not see it then as cheating like they saw it as just keeping up appearances you know like and there was no real limit like the UCI set a hrit uh limit of 50% but that was the tests were kind of kind of like sporadic and there were things you could do to easily get your your level under it that it was and then if you over you I think you got banned for two weeks or the next race like that's hardly a deterrent for speeding is it like if that's like kind of deterrent then everyone's going to be doing 120 miles an hour aren't they which is kind of generalizing what happened in the like the 90s but morally he would he wanted to win so badly he had that intense desire in whatever sport he did so Vander Brook was a cross country Junior cross country champion in Belgium before he really got into cycling he was good at that he picked up darts he was great at that he could have been Luke ller you know the British teenager smashing it now um probably see him tonight yeah oh love darts absolutely adore it you know fantastic sport very different to cycling not not quite so physical there um but so in terms of wrestling with conscience I didn't get a huge sense of that but there was definitely that moment like uh with later on when he was dabbling in sleeping pills he became addicted to them I did get a sense then of this was a turning point in his life you know this was a real possibly more more significant and worse for him than performance enhancing drugs taking that from his then then teammate Philip gomore he trapped that that point to being where it he started to go from Paradise to to Hell basically I I definitely want to jump into that but let's put a pin in that for one second before we come back to because I want to understand a little bit more the cultural context of how big he was in Belgium at the time before we get to understand the pressures and strains that might have drove them to that recreational drug use the name of your book which is amazing and we'll link it below it's it's God Is Dead He's picked up this nickname of God that's an insane nickname to have like the attention that goes with that the closest we probably get now is the attention that goes on Remco in Belgium do you see similarities between the level of attention that Remco gets and the level of attention of vom broot or they incomparable hey Ro man excuse the short Interruption I love riding the bike but on account of being so busy with the podcast at the moment I'm now what's called a time crunch Rider I never thought I'd see today but I have a tool I'm using what bike to keep myself sharp and on point with specific sessions to maximize that available training time I have a w bike atam right here in the recording studio beside me and when I have an hour in between interviews I jump on it's removing all the friction points from me there's no more 10 minute setup unfolding legs banging my knees off stuff getting my hands dirty usual connection issues it just works every single time the atom's perfect for virtual racing as well because it has crisp gear changes it has 1% accuracy and it has Max gradient capability of up to 25% if you're looking for an indoor trainer I honestly couldn't recommend this any higher I've been using a w bike since 2013 honestly it's the last indoor trainer that you're ever going to need if you head on over to what bike.com now and you use code Road Man 10 that's r o a d m n t n and that's going to get you 10% off your W bike absolutely do yeah uh in fact when I was writing this book and researching it I think it was 2018 2019 2020 and Remco was just on the rise and some people were in the infus were making direct comparisons like they were saying Remco needs to read this book basically basically to see what the pitfalls are of early success and fame and to avoid those problems um so like especially Back Then There Were direct comparisons Remco was just like Bon Brook and he has that that that Charisma he has that ridiculous talent that panach you know to to win solo on a 60k breakaway that's just like what Pon Brook used to do sometimes probably more than that um and he has the same pressure the same because you know that God nickname name it it comes from this religious passion that the belgians have for for the national sport that you

The Danger of Being Called God

Basically don't get anywhere else um they called him God because you know they worship cycling too not just fandom Brook for his his style and his grace and his achievements but you know what the title and the book's trying to get at a bit is that no no human being no mortal should be made into a God Like a deity because have even further to fall when they inevitably don't win or or they or they disappoint um and it's a very dangerous thing when someone's built up especially at a very young age because vanderbrook was just a boy really when he turned Pro Remco too like they're fast tracked into this adult complex world and they're not ready for it in some ways and it's also an impossibility to live up to the expectations because the best you can ever do even with unbelievably successful career is to match the expectations and anything short of matching the expectations then gets label as a flop that's the thing I've I've often thought it's actually better to you know if I was a World Tour Rider which anyone who see me on a bike can say I have definitely never been near if I was I would want to be like Kristoff the the Norwegian on on Uno X who came up you know no one saw him for four or five years really with BMC but he's had a great career he's won Flanders he's won to France stages he's won loads of races but he didn't have to deal with any pressure or really any interview requests or any of that for years whereas people like Damian auno like going about 20 years to my adolescence or Remco yeah great guy great racer but when when everything comes first you know in the first five years of of your pro career you set yourself such a standard and you set everyone else at standard that they expect it like so it's kind of nice to see people doing it different ways in modern cycling now like I really want to say to Young cyclist teenagers ones in the first few years of their worldtour career it shouldn't have to be the Remco way that isn't wait that isn't the only route to success like of course everyone would love to be winning world toour races age 20 age 21 19 but realistically the prime for an athlete is still 28 29 like physically and psychologically you know you need to build up that that capacity for what's facing you not just the races but everything around that you know and every everything around that is really important for what happened to Vanden Brook in his life like the bike was like a refuge for him he was safe there there was everything else around it that became more more problematic so what's the Belgian media like the obviously I'm in Ireland and you spend a chunk your time in the UK and we get a lot of the English tabloid papers and football is the religion in the UK and we see every four years the English tabloid building the English national team up and they love to build them up but it's so toxic on the way back down we see even national heroes Like Beckham and they're running front page stories of effes of Beckham B and after he got sent off for kicking Simone in the World Cup quarter semi-final against Argentina is the Belgian press the same sort of ideology where it's almost you know over complimentary on the way up but then the blades are out on the way back down I think to a certain extent that SP media like regardless of of nationality like certainly especially now um in this era of clickbait and trying to get people's attention um back in the day you know 15 20 years ago when vanon Brook was was still racing um it it was more of a goldfish bowl and that's not a good thing you know you have your big newspapers there H news blood head last news the Morgan Etc and at at his height there were basically vandom Brook correspondents there were people whose job was to find out where is he what is he doing find him search for him you know there were Paparazzi um with long lenses when he was going through really difficult times you know Mental Health crisis who were staking outside his house you know with their with their cameras like it was a funny period we're talking really like late 90s early u0s you to the point they kind of went into it like in the book The Britney Spears get a mention in a cycling book because around the same time um you know she shaved her and she was hounded by the media and looking back it was pretty toxic like this is pre-social Media um very toxic not very feminist at all um but it was it wasn't

When Fame Started to Darken

Good for him like well like in one sense it was good for him because he was what the French call like like a bon Cleon like a good client and he gave the media so much he always gave them great quotes they would keep coming back to him and his profile raised his salary raised vaguely related to that but not really but you know endorsements raised that's good but as you say on the way back back down because Vander made a lot of kind of mistakes and lost races that's not on the media but they will you know ruthlessly report that just as relentlessly as they wrote stuff about him on the way up um so partially it's kind of the way things are but partially certainly going back to the question like the Belgian media when they sent several journalists out to I think it was remco's first bike race ever toward to S Louis four or five years ago I just I remember thinking what what are you doing like his first race like that's enough pressure he's just trying to fit in like give the lad a break yeah but anyway like I've got lots of good friends and colleagues in like in the Belgium media um it's only grown you know in the 25 years you know the but I I I yeah so I think rco can handle it he's learned to handle it what do you think was the Catalyst for the the mental health difficulties because when I look at the story at some point the attention is welcomed he's partying he's starting to you know take some recreational drugs life is good he's living in that sort of Border area where he can straddle between French worlds and Belgian worlds he's this charismatic popular character but at some point where I can't where I put my finger on it it starts to get in on him privately and his he he gets a little bit more darker in his thoughts do you have any insights into when that turning point was well I think it was Stan partly you know weeks after he won B on Le in 1999 um he was taken in into a police cell in Paris uh basically because he was caught up in this sting sting operation of his um adviser Dr Mao was his nickname um Bernard SS who had been helping him with homeopathic remedies uh should we say um but also you know a kind of confidence helper he really was kind of Frank had a tricky relationship with his dad and they fell out at times and sence was at times like the father he never had um and certainly steeped in into C history but anyway he he this winner this Monument winner ended up in this kind of police cell and from that he then had to give press conferences where he was a bad guy and later he was photographed in handcuffs at court which should never have happened like there were it was a kind of breach of of security long story short so basically you go from this God to people in your hometown giving you suspicious glances and you're the Fallen Fallen anti-hero not even Fallen Hero and he struggled with that like I I think many people would um that didn't help his mental state you know being the Pariah because another thing explored in the book is you know broadly speaking he's doing this to be loved I I personally I I think most people want to be loved in life um by races winning succeeding it it's just a way to find that love that he maybe didn't quite get from um his father now he's getting the opposite then you have the sleeping pill problem that starts in the winter of 1998 um it it's just just reading it back are the books here just reading some of the stuff it it's just mental like these are young people but mixing loads of uh sleeping pills with alcohol that's no party like that's you know they pass out they do things they remember it's nightmareish like I can't believe that happened but that was cycling in the late 90s and he became addicted to that feeling and he became addicted to certain things late to cocaine too so I could see his mental health starting to spiral partly from this problem partly from you know going into drugs as a kind of or sleeping pills as a kind of Refuge because his reality in the in the 90s became so unpalatable and partly the speed of it too like when you go from God to blow the floor in the space of a month like we can well we can't really relate to that but it must have been so hard um and that's where the problem started even though he won two Welter stages later that year crazily yeah yeah because we look at that period And

Peak Glory and Hidden Fragility

If you're just straight out looking at as palar is 98 wins par nce 99 wins Le in you know spectacular fashion you're expecting him to kick on from there you're expecting the palarz to just be getting started from there but in all honesty they were probably his crown and achievements Ro man I know how serious you take your goal setting whether they're Fitness or life related goals if you're looking for a powerful alloy to support you on this journey look now further than hu hu has become my secret weapon for when I don't have time time to prepare a balanced meal ensures I get the nutrition I need without sacrificing time or taste plus it stops me from reaching for that takeaway menu I always throw a bottle into my backpack when I'm heading into the city to work and it stops me eating junk convenience food snacking on Cross ons and bars of chocolate because I know they don't support my training goals it's a handy nutritious meal on the go and it's got over 22 grams of protein hu is perfect for athletes that don't have time to cook or prepare food before a training session it's convenient nutritious fuel at your fingertips ensuring you hit your daily fueling needs for that session H ready to drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals in every single bottle you're getting a whopping 175 health benefits plus it's made from natural ingredients like Topeka Sunfire seed coconut and more the best part it's the flavors there's eight crazy beautiful flavors iced coffee is what's in my backpack right at the moment you can get you directly to your home all you got to do is head on over to the hu website hu.com Roan that's right like in hindsight age was the beginning of the end or what happened afterwards uh but there was all always this fragility that we we don't see so much now like behind the scenes when he won parin the day before the last St he said he wanted to quit the race having won two or three stages in in the leader Jersey like his um I think it was his his Mass his chologist told me that he was like Mike Tyson before a bike race he was filled with so much doubt beforehand he was in tears then he got into the race and he' Destroy everyone you know like it and he had this vulnerability the whole time on the bike off the bike you never knew which Fran fan of Rook you would get so even even winning parin being the Champion 24 hours before he was ready to quit like it's there was always a story like this with Vander I've almost never experienc this with any other cyclist which it wasn't easy writing the book but it it made life easier because things were either full gas or on the brakes full on there was nothing in in the middle seemingly um and it it that must have been very hard to live you know to experience in the H Team Sky era we've added you know more staff into a cycling team and we have amazing Minds now like Dr Steve Peters who was largely you know involved in British cycle and Bradley Wiggins keeping him on the rails for that period where he was so successful do you think having a character like that a sports psychologist Steve Peters does that changed the trajectory of his career obviously we're wildly speculating but you know from your Insight do you think that was a missing component for him I I think at at first it was you know we're talking about cycling 30 40 years ago when when you look back mental health that word wasn't a thing was it really in professional sport um and unfortunately going to see a psychologist or a psychotherapist back then was you know as shameful as holding on on the team card going up the m gadb and like it wasn't spoken about if it was done you know by these these Champions um that could have helped vandom Brook the thing is that I think it was 2000 or when was it maybe 2003 he started seeing Jeff browers who who became his trusted Confidant his psycho therapist who really helped him who tried to help him you know who actually got too close to him was his reasoning with to me that um he he wanted to change him he thought he could change him because he saw his Brilliance you know he saw that Vanden Brook was in the first percentile for intelligence for example you know just based on not based on sport um and that that helped to keep him alive for longer it's it's a tragic story and it it gets me thinking why do we seem to over index and produce more of these flawed Heroes cycling than other sports there's just so many especially from that era

Drug Culture and Duty of Care

As well that's you know the the benesta climber His Name Escapes Me died of a drug overdose pantani drug overd so tragic exactly yeah it's so tragic I think there's a lot of of reasons you know partly it's nature and partly nurture like the the culture of cycling at that time you have lots of these cyclists who are who are used to you know using recreational drugs like it's eating candy like eating sweets and that you know provides a really negative consequence for off the bite because they looking for that high they're looking for that rush and that makes it easier to go on to recreational drugs which is kind of what happened with pantani himz and and vandom Brook um and there's there was a lack of Duty of of care really like that that word wasn't really used in Pro Sport um you know team managers should have a responsibility and accountability to their Riders um interestingly Patrick levra was his team manager then and we saw what he said about Julian alip several months ago that he's drinking too much you know I I I thought that was pretty toxic pretty reprehensible very Pat favor but um I think there's no place in sport for that kind of thing like imagine if your boss said that publicly about you what does that do for your confidence what does that do for your mindset when you're trying when is he trying to motivate alite like that's a that's a hell of a way of you know doing it um but anyway um so partly nurture and then there's a little bit something inside these these people you know maybe it's a self self-destructive trait maybe I don't think it's fragility or weakness it' be very harsh to say that but it Taps into something you van wants to be loved and he always felt the tragedy was he felt alone even when he was surrounded by people that loved him and the longer it it his life went on the more he felt that he had he was going nowhere you know um so it's a case of individual different in different individuals but it's also you know that culture was absolutely rotten and I'm I'm really glad that procycling has has moved past that nuclear toxic burned you know generation and that's the thing like I I also want to say there's there were Pros then who are suffering in silence now you know a few of them have illnesses possibly related to what they were taking some of them you know one of them who I won't name was was was suicidal with me with me week weeks later on the phone um so even I didn't know what kind of world I was going into I didn't expect that pain that torture 25 years later that you know so I have a lot of kind of empathy you know and that's as far as I went to it like you have to be objective when you're writing and writing a bi yeah writing your biography um but you have to be sympathetic too to the pain and suffering that was going on it's almost like post-traumatic stress disorder still kicked in um how much do we know about his final days and how did he ultimately pass away so you know Fran kept on being uh Pro to his final months but he was signing for smaller teams for smaller salaries and he did win a very small race in 200 and and nine but it was clear that his career was petering out and his life was fading away um he he went to Sagal on holiday in I think it was O October 2009 with a much younger teammate and it transpired later that he' asked about 10 12 people just the ones that I interviewed to come with him to Africa but they they couldn't come so he lighted on this this younger friend who was possibly more impressionable than say his agent paulig Gator or Patrick Le or his mom he asked you know and anyway what happened in it's still a bit of a mystery but what happened in Sagal basically was the last person who saw him alive was a prostitute they had been in an nightclub uh they went back to a hotel um and you know Frank had been drinking he went back to his room and then he was found found dead the next day um the family refused A toxicity report they just wanted their son back you know that in a way they suffered enough is my reading of it um so it it isn't definitive what happened you know there's I really go into it like in the book uh it's it's kind of like a mystery but was it suicide there are some elements that would suggest that his psychologist he doesn't say that but he hints at that was it just a a kind of accident

Cautionary Tale and Lasting Legacy

You know that there had been people tourists that go to sagore who had their drink spiked who who also died you know that year was it just a horrendous ACD was it was it natural causes also possible you know so long story short it's not clear but there's lots of theories what's Legacy is it a race is it a moment or is it a cautionary tail so I was going to say not officially clear but I know what I think happened um to go um I think it's a cautionary tell like we don't want no one wants a pro cyclist to die like that I to die in his prime basically um I think it's easy to think of andab Brook as yesterday's man you know yes his finest races were in the last century but he was also racing with people like Chris room and Thomas de you know he's not he's not so long ago that generation is not so distant so we have to be careful like I I I I also think you know duty of care psychology is stepped up but there are still it's still something to be worked on in Pro Sport but also in Pro cycling you know there's there's lots of you know traditionalists out there running teams or or you know DS's which isn't ideal you know if they had but yeah I think it's cautionary it partly belongs to a certain era but it partly you know there lessons to be learned and there are there are things that could have been different for Vanden Brook you know people said to me if he had stayed at maape with the Ferra he'd have been okay if he'd quit cycling and became a pundit or a wine expert because he loved wine he'd have been okay you know and it's it's sad hearing those ifs like we never basically I would be happy never writing another book like that because like nothing like this ever happens to a pro cyclist that's the aim isn't it you know but I also think for better or or or For Worse we sports fans cycling fans we're drawn to people who exceed their limits um and do things that we would never count as doing would never consider doing um maybe it's a vicarious thing but C certainly reading vanderbrook his book you know writing it you realize he had a hell of a life um incredible highs incredible lows um but we're we're attracted to pushing the limits and the I think I speak for all cycl fans when I just say thanks thanks for your work it's why we're so attracted to cycl it's the color the texture the history of cycl it's what makes it special and what makes it beautiful and you're preserving and you're bringing back to life some of the brightest and some of the darkest moments from the past that maybe otherwise get lost so thanks very much for taking the time to chat today but you know broader than that thank you so much for taking the time to thoroughly research these books and shine a light on the heroes of our sport yeah but say it's my pleasure also we talked about some dark things today and there are some dark things certainly in Vander Brook's story but there's a lot of you know light and levity you know he was a great impressionist like a bit like Braddy Wiggins um he he had so much fun and he gave so much to people you know sometimes he would buy watches for his for his teammates and there are there a lot of you know endearing lovable funny stories in the book even though it might not sound that you know from listening to the last half an hour um but yeah I'm fortunately as as you put it very well it's really is light and dark with bonber and cycling in that era sometimes Andy TT your time thank you very much if you enjoy this video and you want to keep binge watching with the content check this video it's a cracker also don't forget to subscribe to the channel that way I can catch you in the next one see you then

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did Frank Vandenbroucke die?+

Frank Vandenbroucke died in September 2009 in a hotel room in Senegal, aged 34. The official cause was a pulmonary embolism. Andy McGrath's book "God Is Dead" examines the combination of personal struggles, addiction, and the toll of professional cycling's doping culture that contributed to his decline in the years before his death.

Why was Frank Vandenbroucke called God?+

Vandenbroucke earned the nickname due to his extraordinary natural talent and the expectation that he would become the next Eddy Merckx. He was dominant as a junior and announced his 1999 Liège-Bastogne-Liège victory in advance, then delivered on it, reinforcing the belief that he was operating on a different level to his peers.

What is the book God Is Dead about cycling?+

"God Is Dead" by Andy McGrath is a biography of Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, tracing his rise from junior prodigy to professional star and his eventual tragic death. McGrath argues that Vandenbroucke's downfall was shaped not only by personal demons but by the heavily doped era he raced in and the immense pressure of being compared to Merckx from an early age.

Did Frank Vandenbroucke dope?+

Vandenbroucke raced during the most chemically compromised period in professional cycling's history, and McGrath's account makes clear that doping was effectively systemic across the peloton at that time. Andy McGrath frames the issue not as individual moral failure but as the reality of a generation where clean competition was made nearly impossible by the culture surrounding the sport.

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Key Takeaways

Vandenbroucke turned pro in 1994, one of the most toxic years in cycling history, when EPO and performance-enhancing drugs became rampant—creating an impossible choice for young riders between compromising their ethics or losing their careers

The Belgian media's intense scrutiny and the 'God' nickname created unsustainable expectations; going from celebrated hero to suspected cheater within weeks of his 1999 Liège-Bastogne-Liège win triggered a mental health crisis he never recovered from

His addiction to sleeping pills mixed with alcohol—starting in winter 1998—marked a turning point where his mental state spiraled faster than any performance-enhancing drug could have caused, revealing a deeper fragility beneath his charismatic exterior

Early psychological support could have changed his trajectory; he only began seeing a therapist (Jeff Browers) around 2000-2003, far too late to address the underlying issues driving his self-destructive behavior

The cycling culture of that era lacked basic duty of care for riders' mental health and well-being—a stark contrast to modern teams with dedicated sports psychologists and support staff

Expert Quotes

"No one will be the next Eddie Merckx because cycling has changed—you'll never win 500 races in your life. That's a ridiculous nickname and probably no poor Belgian teenager should be called the next Eddy Merckx. — Andy McGrath"

"He was like Mike Tyson before a bike race—filled with so much doubt beforehand, in tears, then he'd get into the race and destroy everyone. There was always this fragility we don't see now. — Andy McGrath"

"The bike was like a refuge for him—he was safe there. Everything else around it became more and more problematic."

KEY QUOTES

“there was one I think one junior year he won something like 49% of all the races he started half basically like that's pretty um unreal”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

“one Pro in in the '90s said to me it was you know like discovering the nuclear bomb that's when he turned Pro um EPO what's that”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

“no no human being no mortal should be made into a God Like a deity because have even further to fall when they inevitably don't win or or they or they disappoint um and it's a very dangerous thing when someone's built up especially at a very young age because vanderbrook was just a boy really when he turned Pro”
Andy McGrath — Author of 'God Is Dead', cycling journalist

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did Frank Vandenbroucke die?+

Why was Frank Vandenbroucke called God?+

What is the book God Is Dead about cycling?+

Did Frank Vandenbroucke dope?+

THE UNTOLD STORY OF FRANK VANDENBROUCKE'S LIFE & DEATH | ANDY MCGRATH

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THE UNTOLD STORY OF FRANK VANDENBROUCKE'S LIFE & DEATH | ANDY MCGRATH

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LIKED THIS EPISODE?