Event organisers have announced that two competitors died following Sunday’s LOTTO Poland Bike Marathon MTB race in Marki, a northeastern suburb of Warsaw, as Poland endured its hottest day in more than a century.
The event was the second round of the Kolarska Triada Powiatu Wołomińskiego “Szlakiem Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920” series, with hundreds of participants competing on 28 km and 52 km courses in the forests surrounding Marki.
At around 16:40 on Sunday, the body of 30-year-old Michał, a rider for Catena Wyszków, was found off the course approximately three kilometres from the finish line. Paramedics were unable to revive him.
The second tragedy unfolded overnight. Kazimierz Niewiarowski, 71, a veteran of the event and multiple MTB race winner, failed to reach the finish on the 28 km course. Organisers alerted emergency services after his timing chip failed to register at the finish line.
More than 150 rescue personnel, including police, firefighters, military personnel and volunteers, searched through the night using drones and tracking dogs. His body was found on Monday morning in a wooded area approximately 700 metres from the finish.
Race director Grzegorz Wajs said Niewiarowski had reported dehydration on race day following a bout of illness three days earlier, and that organisers had advised him not to start. “He said he had come to win and was aware of the risks. He wouldn’t listen,” Wajs told TVN24.
According to preliminary information from emergency services, extreme heat is considered the likely factor in both deaths. Temperatures on the course reached approximately 40°C during the afternoon races, although the official causes of death will be determined by post-mortem examinations.
Organisers had shortened both courses by seven kilometres and added extra water stations and water-misting curtains in anticipation of the extreme temperatures. Warsaw prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of the younger rider and into the organisation of the event, examining whether staging the race in near-40°C conditions exposed participants to unacceptable risk. The investigation is expected to be expanded to include Niewiarowski’s death.
Poland Bike Marathon has been a fixture on Poland’s amateur mountain bike calendar for more than a decade, with races held across the forests of the Mazovia region.
Gran Fondo Daily News extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends and teammates of both riders.
Photo Credit: Paweł Soban
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