Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen was put into an induced coma Wednesday after suffering injuries in a crash on the final stretch of the Tour of Poland, organizers said.

A massive crash at the finish of the first stage resulted in Dylan Groenewegen‘s disqualification from the race.

Leading a bunch sprint, Groenewegen veered toward the right barrier, pinching countryman Jakobsen, who barreled into the barrier meters from the finish line.

Jakobsen went head over heels, his bike went airborne and the barriers exploded onto the road, causing more cyclists to crash.

Jakobsen was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition and was put into an induced coma, the Tour de Pologne press office said.

Doctor Pawel Gruenpeter of the hospital in Sosnowiec said Jakobsen suffered injuries to the head and chest but that his condition was stable at the intensive care unit. Jakobsen will need surgery to his face and skull, Gruenpeter told state broadcaster TVP Sport.

Groenewegen crossed the finish line first but was disqualified, giving Jakobsen the stage win, according to the stage race website.

Groenewegen, a 27-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider, owns four Tour de France stage wins among the last three years.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) “strongly condemned” Groenewegen’s “dangerous” and “unacceptable” behavior. It referred Groenewegen’s actions to a disciplinary commission for possible sanctions.

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27 Comments

  1. Not to blame anyone but Groenewegen, but these barriers sure didn't help either. No one wish for an accident to happen, but when they do happen and barriers are not fastened and get smashed to pieces upon impact it makes bad very much worse.

  2. Dylan never paid any money to Fabio
    Dylan’s team paid nothing to Fabio
    The uci paid nothing to Fabio
    The owners of the race paid nothing, no insurance?
    The town pain nothing
    The rider federation headed by g bugno paid zero

    Fabio like we all do, had 32 teeth. 31 out of 32 teeth knocked out of Fabios mouth. It’s a $2 million dollar case

    Such non-professionalism in our sport! Such a weak and ineffective even cowardly pro riders organization. A sport dominated by aso. To aso goes nearly all of the tv money, and only to aso

    Cycling grow up!

  3. I've been an avid sprint fan a long, long time. Looks to me like he was trying to go somewhere he shouldn't have been. Only the resulting injuries brought about the ban. It was unwarranted.

  4. What is truly sickening to me is the fact that something like this garners all these comments from people that probably don't know the first thing about cycling, much less sprinting. His choice to try and squeeze by showed one thing for certain, his youth and inexperience.

  5. Former lawyer here. Only a 9 month ban?! WTF? Should be aggravated assault or attempted manslaughter charges brought against Groenewegen.

    Agree also they need to up their barrier game.

  6. I’m here watching Netflix 2022 TdF. Felt sorry for this guy. On stage 21, he was suppose to take the stage win but this time a mechanical failure.

  7. DG def shouldve been held accountable for literally MAIMING Fabio for the rest of his life. Obviously intentional. Just no regard for his life. Put him into metal bars- which he knew were there. Not someone I would stand behind. Scary

  8. Sure in slow mo it looks purposeful and avoidable. But when your sprinting at 50mph, decisions aren't made fast when your near your max heart rate. Although as a professional athlete you should have that control and only a minor split second decision can prove fatal.

  9. Poor sportsmen need to do shitty things to try and win. Groenewegen needs to check his ego. It's a bicycle, dude… you're not doing anything of grand, interplanetary importance.

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