Organisers cancel stage 4 of the Tour of Poland after Lambrecht death

Warswaw, Aug 6 (AFP) Organisers of the Tour of Poland have cancelled Tuesday's scheduled fourth stage following the death of Belgian rider Bjorg Lambrecht. "Out of respect for Bjorg, the organisers with the officials and the teams have decided that the fourth stage of the Tour of Poland will be cancelled," said a statement on the Tour website.

The 22-year-old died after colliding with a concrete structure around 30 kilometres into the third stage on Monday following rain. He was resuscitated on the spot, then taken in a critical condition to a hospital in the southern city of Rybnik, where he died on the operating table.

Lambrecht won the Under 23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege and finished second in the Tour de l'Avenir in 2017 behind this year's Tour de France winner Egan Bernal before turning professional last year with Lotto Soudal. This year he placed 12th at the Criterium du Dauphine, winning the best young rider category, fourth in La Fleche Wallonne and sixth at the Amstel Gold.

Lambrecht's death brought a flurry of tributes across social media from all corners of the cycling world. "Such an incredibly sad day here in Poland and across the cycling world," tweeted Mark Cavendish who finished sixth in Monday's stage.

"To the family, friends and teammates of @bjorg_lambrecht, all our thoughts and sympathies are with you. Rest In Peace Bjorg. May your star continue to shine as brightly as it did in cycling." Alejandro Valverde, the world road race champion in 2018, echoed Cavendish's comments. "Deeply sorry for the loss of Bjorg Lambrecht, a cyclist who had demonstrated a lot in a few years," the Spaniard tweeted. (AFP) APA

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