Bolesław Napierała (September 1909 – 1976) was a Polish cycling champion, twice winner of the

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (; ), officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's Race stage, multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km ...

. He was born in

Marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

, Germany to a family of Polish immigrants. When Poland regained independence in 1918, the family moved back to their homeland. However, after a few years, the Napieralas left Poland again, to

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

in France. It was there that Boleslaw for the first time saw cyclists, during

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

. Fascinated by them, he decided to take up cycling himself, helped by his famous neighbor, Luxemburg cyclist Nicolas Frantz. Napierala, nicknamed ''Road Tiger'', cycled for the teams ''Fort Bema Warszawa'', and ''Sarmata Warszawa''. He twice won Tour de Pologne (1937, 1939), for 15 days was in leader's jersey, and in the 1937 tour, he was a leader from start to finish.http://www.tourdepologne.pl/en/historia.asp History of the Tour de Pologne
In 1939, a month after winning Tour de Pologne, World War II broke out. After the war, Napierala never returned to his late 1930s form.

References

External links

Boleslaw Napierala at cyclingranking.com

A photo of Napierala during the first International Cycling Race Warsaw-Prague-Warsaw (1948)
* 1909 births 1976 deaths Polish male cyclists Sportspeople from Dortmund German people of Polish descent 20th-century Polish sportsmen {{Poland-cycling-bio-stub