Cappellari had left the road with his work truck and rolled over several times. He died at the scene of the accident. What initially appeared to be one of the unfortunately frequent fatal accidents in the mountains subsequently proved to be a bitter loss for Swiss mountain biking.

Cappellari, who was only 60 years old, was not only connected to the scene through his daughter Carina - a former World Cup downhiller and now a national gravity coach. As truck driver and right-hand man to chief mechanic and son-in-law Gavin Black, he made sure that the equipment in the Thömus-Maxon team arrived reliably at the World Cup venues throughout Europe and was set up on time. Danilo Cappellari was also considered a mainstay of the team thanks to his positive, humorous manner.

The news of the accident reached the team just as the Swiss Championships were being held in Savognin. Despite the shock news, the riders decided to go to the start - just as Cappellari would have done. This gave Alessandra Keller's superior victory a particularly emotional note: she crossed the finish line with her hands formed into a heart and preceded her jubilation with a silent sign of remembrance.