Tour of Poland to honor Bjorg Lambrecht a year after fateful crash

The Tour of Poland is paying tribute to Belgian rider Bjorg Lambrecht, who was killed tragically in the race last year.

The Tour of Poland will include a special young rider classification in Lambrecht’s honor, and the number 143 that he wore when he crashed has been permanently put to the side. The start of the 2020 race will begin with a minute of silence to pay respect to the 22-year-old.

“Bjorg will be with us forever. We will never forget him. The decision to reserve the number 143 was made a few months ago unanimously. But we want to cultivate this memory in a variety of ways,” said Tour of Poland general director Czeslaw Lang.

The classification named after Bjorg Lambrecht will award the best young athlete up to 23-years-old, and the first stage will include an honorary start at the Silesian Stadium. “At the start proper we will stop to celebrate Bjorg with a minute of silence,” added Lang.

Lotto-Soudal, the team where Lambrecht began his promising career as a professional, is planning to come to Poland, which runs from August 5 to August 9. The team is planning to bring a very strong squad, including 2016 champion Tim Wellens, John Degenkolb, Thomas de Gendt, and Tomasz Marczynski – the favorite rider of the Polish fans.

“We want to pay tribute to Bjorg’s memory as well as thank the organizers and the Polish fans for all their amazing support,” said Lotto-Soudal boss John Lelangue.

“They were with us and encouraged us in the most difficult moments. We will never forget that, just as we will never forget Bjorg. The number 143 is featured on our team cars and is in the official team communication. I am very glad that, at the end of the race, the best young cyclist will receive a special Bjorg prize. It will be extremely symbolic.”