After maintaining an impressively decisive lead in the Trans Balkan Race, it was announced last night (2 June) that Radosław Gołębiewski has been disqualified.
While details were initially thin, the race organisers announced this morning (3 June) on Facebook and Instagram that Gołębiewski was disqualified from the gruelling 1,400km unsupported race because he had received external help on multiple occasions.
This was disappointing news, especially because Gołębiewski, referred to by his fans as ‘Radzilla’, has a loyal following. The rider notably came third in this year’s Atlas Mountain Race and is a four-time finisher of Poland’s Wisła 1200.
Danish rider Joachim Maclean took top honours instead, with Markus Valentin and Samuele Tonello rounding out the podium.
Sadly, this isn’t the first example of cheating in an ultra-distance race, and my experience of participating in such events suggests it’s symptomatic of a growing problem.
But the Trans Balkan Race organisers’ approach shows exactly how to deal with the issue – and others should take note.
What is the Trans Balkan Race?
The Trans Balkan Race is a 1,397km off-road mountain bike race with an upsetting 30,100m elevation, now in its its fifth edition. This year's race started on 29 May, and riders have until 7 June to complete the punishing course.
The 2026 edition started in Trieste, Italy, before winding its way through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, finishing in Risan in the Bay of Kotor.
The route is designed to be remote, crossing rugged and isolated mountain landscapes (some of the early Slovenian and Croatian sections are bear-infested).
To make things particularly interesting, there are only 24 resupply options across the entire route, with five of those in the first 120km.
On top of this, riders often battle intense heat and this year proved no different.
What happened?
From the beginning of the race, Gołębiewski held a decisive lead over the rest of the field.
But as he arrived in Nikšić, Montenegro, a mere 78.97km from the finish, the race organisers announced on social media that the rider had been disqualified “for breach of the unsupported race rules” and that a more detailed communication would follow.
At the time, it appeared as if Gołębiewski was being disqualified for accepting Coca-Cola and bananas from someone, and the comment section was subsequently set alight with many condemning the race organisers' actions.
This post was followed shortly by a video featuring Beatrice ‘Bea’ Lona, one of the organisers, who explained that “the decision does not stem from a single incident observed today, but from an investigation conducted over several days [that] concluded in Nikšić”.
Then, this morning, an official statement was released with pictorial and video evidence of Gołębiewski accepting private resupply from a black van with a Polish number plate.
The organisers wrote that this “unauthorised external assistance [...] happened multiple times”, first occurring “close to Checkpoint 1 [where] concerns arose about possible external support connected to Radosław's race”.
The statement went on to explain how “Race Direction decided to collect further evidence before taking any action” and that they were unable to intercept several locations where he is suspected to have received further assistance.
“The Race Director and crew waited for Radosław outside Nikšić and followed him. Radosław turned off route toward a parking area to meet a person in a van with Polish licence plates, the same vehicle that had been reported around the CP1 and CP2 areas.”
“The person in the van proceeded to provide Radosław with full resupply. Photographic evidence was collected before Race Direction left the scene”.
Why did it happen?
Gołębiewski has a notable following, especially in his native Poland, riding independently until he started to receive sponsorship in the 2025 season from DT Swiss, Wytneci and Inoni.
Notable for being a fiercely independent rider, Gołębiewski only took to Instagram in March 2024 and Strava in October 2025.
The fact he held such a lead over his competitors at the Trans Balkan Race is plausible, in my opinion, given his past performances (although, some may now question the legitimacy of those, too).
In fact, I think he could very easily have replicated his top performance without the private resupply – and that’s what makes this news so crushing.
It’s all very sad, and while it will be interesting to see what gets revealed down the line, I hope this will prove to be a learning experience because Gołębiewski will doubtlessly come under a lot of scrutiny from his fans for this.
And while cheating of this nature would typically result in a time penalty, I’m glad the organisers went one step further and disqualified him.
Even with a time penalty, Gołębiewski would have likely won, and an example needs to be made of those who blatantly break the rules.
This isn’t the only example…
Gołębiewski isn’t the only person to have broken or bent the unsupported rules of a high-profile ultra-distance race recently.
The Traka 2026 also came under pressure on social media after the event, with some riders accusing others of having support cars and private rest / resupply assistance.
Victor Bosoni, winner of the Traka Adventure (560), was among the accused, with some of his competitors reporting the Factor Racing sponsored rider for literally cutting corners and not sticking to the official route at all times, sharing evidence of his GPX track.
However, Bosoni was not sanctioned by the organisers and the results were left unchanged.
The race organisers, Klassmark, were also criticised for ignoring this, with some suggesting they cared more about protecting the race’s image than its integrity.
Of course, it’s worth noting that The Traka Adventure walks the line between a race and a simple participation 'challenge' (as Klassmark refer to it), but the rules are clear.
Rule 12.3 in the regulations section of the event’s website states “Each participant must be completely self-supported throughout the entire route” and “external assistance is not allowed”.
Bosoni also raced at Badlands 2025, where he criticised the conduct of some of the racers in an Instagram post, where he revealed he found tramadol tablets up a climb, a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
If my experience is anything to go by…
I’ve completed five ultra-endurance races now, and I’m sad to report I’ve witnessed cheating first-hand at three of them.
It’s important to note I’ve always placed towards the middle or back end of proceedings, so the cheating I’ve seen hasn’t been among those vying for a podium position.
At both Mother North and Across Andes in 2025, I saw a participant get private resupply from a van that was following them.
But cheating was more rife at Badlands 2024, where as well as a rider getting private resupply from a van, another was being collected and taken to private accommodation with food at the end of each day.
Another racer, who had worn through their disc brake pads and wasn’t carrying spares, received help from someone who delivered a replacement bike and then went in search of new brake pads for the original bike, to avoid the rider having to come off course and find a bike shop.
My stance is I’m not so fussed if it’s happening outside of the leaders. For most (including myself), these events are about simply having the honour of finishing – I couldn’t care less where I place.
I can be proud knowing I’ve completed these races unsupported – and if a rider who isn’t at the front of the pack doesn't adhere to those values, my view is they’re only cheating themselves.
But it’s a different story when you’re competing for the win or top places – Gołębiewski undoubtedly had a clear advantage over his competitors by being suitably nourished, while others will have struggled with the long remote stretches without resupply.
This is how you deal with it
How the Trans Balkan Race organisers have dealt with Gołębiewski's cheating should provide a yardstick for other race organisers.
I particularly admire how they gathered evidence, rather than just going on the clues offered by the tracker.
Yes, the organisers could have provided the irrefutable statement from the start, rather than set the comments alight.
But having to deal with Gołębiewski's infraction, while Joachim Maclean was due to arrive imminently at the finish, and manage the rest of the race was no easy task.
The rules are the rules, and I’m glad the race organisers stuck with their convictions.
Sadly, I don’t think this is the end of cheating in ultra-distance cycling and as a friend of mine said when we were discussing the news this morning, “The only thing that will change is that some people will probably get better at cheating”.
