Czeslaw Lukaszewicz

Pedal, janvier 2014

by Pasquale Stalteri

As far as unsung heroes go, when reviewing Canada’s illustrious cycling history few would dispute the nomination of Czeslaw Lukaszewicz to this list. When considering his amazing list of achievements, perhaps a more relevant observation would be asking why.

Born in 1964 on a dairy farm in Ketrzyn, Poland, Lukaszewicz started cycling at the age of 12 and quickly became passionate about the sport. By15 his passion and disciple slowly started paying off and in the years ahead he would often place well enough in local and provincial races to start creating a buzz. At 18 he was selected onto the Polish U23 national team but the first defining moment of his career would come while serving in the army. At age 19 he lead a cycling team of polish marines to a second place finish in the Polish national TTT championships, racing on an challenging 100km course and finishing in approximately 2 hours and 2 minutes.

"This was the first time in my career that I realized that maybe I had some potential to do something in the sport of cycling and it motivated me to want to achieve more," confided Lukaszewicz. In the years that followed he certainly lived up to that notion.

In 1987 when he was 22, Lukaszewicz hit a new milestone after joining the ranks of Team Krupinski at the prestigious Tour of Poland. While having no stage wins to his credit, he won the overall points classification and finished 3rd in the general classification (GC). But this highlight wasn't without consequence. Although Lukaszewicz had been overlooked by the Polish national team, the team’s coach, former Olympic and world championship medalist, Ryszard Szurkowski, apparently took exception to his not helping the national squad. Relations between the two became strained to the point that Lukaszewicz eventually left Poland altogether.

Within a few months he arrived in Athens, Greece and immediately applied for Canadian citizenship and dreamt of starting a new life in Canada. In the meanwhile he worked construction jobs and continued to train and race although after winning the 1988 Elite U23 Sacrifice Race, the Greek cycling federation revoked his racing licence due to technicalities pertaining to citizenship.

In November, 1989 Lukaszewicz's immigration application was accepted and the Canadian chapter of his cycling career would soon begin. He was selected to represent Canada at the 1990 World amateur road championships in Japan, where he placed 30th in a strong field which included the likes of Lance Armstrong and Alex Zülle.

In 1991 he won the highly esteemed Tour de Beauce and in 1994 won his first of four (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000) national road titles, including two back-to-back titles (1999, 2000). A feat which has yet to be matched by any other Canadian rider.

When asked about his four national titles, Lukaszewicz eagerly admitted the following, "I was highly motivated to train specifically for the National championships. Wearing the Canadian champions jersey meant the world to me."

In 1998 he also won the 227km Quebec-Montreal road race via solo breakaway in typical Lukaszewicz fashion. Although considered a decent sprinter, when Czeslaw was at the top of his game, he was very hard to contain, often finding his way alone to the finish line.

His accomplishments while wearing the maple leaf jersey include his participation at the following events. Two Commonwealth Games first in Victoria, BC in 1994, placing 10th as the top Canadian and again in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia placing 9th. The 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg. The 1991 World Amateur road Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, The 1992 World Professional road Championships in Benidorm, Spain and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

At 49 years of age, Lukaszewicz still races with the elite and can be found running a successful bicycle shop, Velo Select, which he founded in 2002 with his wife Zouhra, in Châteauguay, Québec. He also runs the Velo Select developmental U23 racing team and is presently busy organizing and gearing up for the upcoming 2014 season which will include a presence at the Tour de Beauce among over venues.

During the summer months he also leads regular training rides out to Covey Hill in Franklin, Québec along some of the most scenic country roads in the whole province and enjoys passing on his knowledge and expertise to anyone willing to endure the pace. A certified coach with extensive practical experience, Lukaszewicz is an authority on cycling training. "Today my passion for cycling is stronger than ever, but my focus is on teaching the young riders because they are the future of Canadian cycling" says Lukaszewicz who hopes to one day pass the torch onto his son Miguel who is an integral part of his racing team. When asked if he'd like to see his son match his achievements, he simple smiles and says "and hopefully much more".

Results
1987 Poland 3º in Stage 6 Tour de Pologne, Poland
1987 Poland 3º in General Classification Tour de Pologne, Poland
1988 Greece 1º in Sacrifice Race, Elite/U23, Greece
1991 Canada 1º in General Classification Tour de Beauce, Canada
1992 United States of America 1º in Stage 6 Miller Superweek , United States of America
1992 Canada 1º in Stage 1 Canadian Tire Cobblestone Classic, Canada
1994 Canada 1º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Canada, Canada
1997 Canada 1º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Canada, Canada
1997 Canada 1º in Stage 1 Tour de Beauce, Sainte-Marie (Quebec), Canada
1998 Japan 2º in Stage 3 Tour of Japan, Japan
1998 Japan 3º in Stage 5 Tour of Japan, Japan
1998 United States of America 1º in Charlotteville, United States of America
1998 France 2º in Stage 5 Circuit de Lorraine, Metz (Lorraine), France
1998 Canada 3º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Canada, Canada
1998 United States of America 1º in Hampton, United States of America
1998 Canada 2º in Prologue Tour de Beauce, Canada
1998 United States of America 1º in Stage 4 Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, United States of America
1998 Canada 1º in Quebec - Montreal, Canada
1999 Canada 1º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Canada, Canada
1999 France 3º in Stage 2 Tour du Poitou-Charentes et de la Vienne, Parthenay (Poitou-Charentes), France
2000 Canada 1º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Canada, Peterborough (Ontario), Canada
2000 Great Britain 1º in Peterborough, Great Britain
2001 Canada 2º in Stage 5 Tour de Beauce, Canada
2001 Canada 2º in Stage 7 Tour de Beauce, Saint-Georges (Quebec), Canada

Teams
1992 CAN Evian (Canada)
1993 CAN Reynolds - Volkswagen (Canada)
1998 POL Mróz (Poland)
1999 CZE Wüstenrot - ZVVZ (Czech Republic)
2000 CZE Wüstenrot - ZVVZ (Czech Republic)
2001 POL Servisco (Poland)

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