UCI suspended HRE Mazowsze Serce Polski DS for reckless driving during 2023 Tour of Denmark time trial

The UCI has suspended Polish team manager Dariusz Banaszek until March 2025 for multiple dangerous actions during last year's Tour of Denmark. The coach of the continental HRE Mazowsze Serce Polski performed crazy antics on the time trial course in order to be able to follow one of his riders. Since this spring, Banaszek has no longer been allowed to sit behind the steering wheel during a race.

For the offence, we have to go back to the fifth stage of the 2023 Tour of Denmark. After Dariusz Banaszek, father of cyclists Norbert and Adrian and uncle of former professional Alan Banaszek, followed a rider from his team, he quickly wanted to follow another rider. When it turned out that the next rider had already left, he performed some daredevil stunts. Banaszek overtook several riders, team cars and motorbikes.

What made it extra dangerous was that the other side of the road was also used for the time trial. So there were riders and support vehicles coming in the opposite direction. The UCI disciplinary commission ruled that the 54-year-old team manager had violated several UCI rules, including endangering people in the race convoy, as well as spectators.

The punishments handed out by the UCI disciplinary committee are not mild. Since the investigation started in 2024, he was already banned from driving a support vehicle, but now he is not allowed to perform any activity within cycling until October 23, 2024. After that, he is not allowed to drive as a driver in a racing convoy for five months, until March 17, 2025. Banaszek must also take a safe driving course once his suspension ends, before he is officially allowed to get behind the wheel again.