The great Polish master is dead. This is a huge loss for the sport

Józef Beker came from the Old Town near Tarnopol. However, he started his cycling career in Lower Silesia, with which he was associated for the vast majority of his life. First as a player of Odra Brzeg, and later of LZS Mokrzeszów.

In 1961, he was recognized as the best road cyclist in Poland. He could even go to the Olympic Games in Rome (1960), but ultimately his debut at the most important event in the world had to wait four years – due to the lack of a passport.

Józef Beker is dead. This is a huge blow to Polish sport

In 1961, Beker won the title of Polish champion in the team race, and in 1966 he became Polish vice-champion in the mountain race. His greatest success was winning the Tour de Pologne in 1965.

However, in 1963, Beker and his colleagues took second place in the Tour de France in the team classification for amateurs.

In his only start at the Olympic Games (1964), Beker took part in the 100 km team race. The partners were: Andrzej Bławdzin, Jan Magiera, Rajmund Zieliński. The Polish team took 11th place.

At the end of his career, he founded a flower shop and an ice cream shop (…) While doing housework, he had a serious accident and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Thanks to the help of his wife, family and friends, even though doctors gave him little chance of recovery, he recovered and leads a peaceful life, developing another passion, which was tennis. He emphasized that he coped with adversity thanks to the iron condition he acquired during his sports career (…) In Świdnica, an outstanding athlete has his own mural, made by Robert Kukla, in a tunnel on the bicycle path between Kraszowicka and Westerplatte streets – we read on the local website swidnica24.pl.

Beker’s daughter announced his death. The former great cyclist died at the age of 88.