Bjorg Lambrecht’s funeral to be held in his home village next week

A public commemoration will be held for the 22-year-old

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

The funeral of Bjorg Lambrecht will be held in his home village in Belgium next week.

Lotto-Soudal rider Lambrecht suffered a fatal collision on stage three of the Tour of Poland and was rushed to hospital where he died during surgery.

His team have confirmed that Lambrecht died from a liver laceration that caused an internal haemorrhage, then suffering a cardiac arrest.

>>> Obituary: Bjorg Lambrecht, 1997 – 2019

Lambrecht’s funeral will be held in the church of his home village, Knesselare in East Flanders at 11am on Tuesday (August 13), reports Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

Traffic will be banned from the centre of the Belgian village and a large screen will be installed in the square to allow the public to mourn the loss of the rising star.

Stage four of the Tour of Poland was run as a procession in memory of Lambrecht, who was riding his second season at WorldTour level.

Race organisers decided to neutralise stage four and hold a procession in memory of the rider, with the Lotto-Soudal squad leading the peloton in an emotional tribute that included a minute’s silence after 48km.

Lotto-Soudal team doctor, Maarten Meirhaeghe, said on Wednesday (August 7): “With such internal haemorrhages, Bjorg needed a miracle, a miracle he wasn’t given. The place and time did not influence the consequence.

“Even if he suffered the trauma inside a hospital, the chances of a bad outcome are high.”

>>> ‘The feeling of being a failure is indescribable’: Jani Brajkovič reveals his ongoing battle with eating disorder and his attempts to race again 

The Lotto team at the Tour of Poland – Sander Armée, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Tomasz Marczyński, Harm Vanhoucke, Jelle Wallays and Enzo Wouters – have all decided to continue the race, after the Belgian outfit gave them the choice to leave after stage four.

Lotto’s Carl Fredrik Hagen said: “Bjorg will be with me in my heart for the rest of my life and career.

“I’ll ride for him and aim for the victories we were supposed to capture together.”

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.