Bjorg Lambrecht, a 22-year-old Belgian cyclist from Team Lotto-Soudal, died while undergoing surgery after crashing into a concrete culvert 60 miles from the finish to the third stage of the Tour of Poland on Monday.
Lambrecht was resuscitated at the scene and taken by ambulance to a hospital in Rybnik where he later perished, according to The Sun and The Guardian.
“The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and teammates of Bjorg has happened…Rest in peace Bjorg,” Team Lotto Soudal tweeted.
The accident occurred between Chorzow and Zabrze as the riders battled heavy rain near Zory, located 200 miles south of Warsaw. The Sun reported “sporadic downpours throughout the day meant racing conditions were treacherous and Charles Planet and Adrian Kurek also crashed out in the latter stages.”
An unidentified rider told Polish reporters that Lambrecht had put his arm up and had been calling for a director shortly before crashing, but nobody knew why he had actually fallen into the culvert, according to Cycling News.
This is the first fatality since the Tour of Poland turned fully professional in 1993.
“There are no words to describe this tragedy,” the Tour of Poland said in a statement. “Bjorg Lambrecht passed away following an accident on today’s stage. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, team and the whole cycling community.”
Lambrecht was competing in his second season on the world tour and is said to have been one of his nation’s most promising young talents.
Photos by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images.
