Cyclist Groenewegen suspended after crash leaves Jakobsen in coma

Warsaw, August 8

Cyclist Dylan Groenewegen, who was involved in a horror crash on the Tour of Poland which left his Dutch compatriot Fabio Jakobsen in a coma, has been suspended by his team.

“Dylan is devastated about what has happened and the, unintentional, severe consequences for others involved in the crash. He feels very sorry,” said the Jumbo-Visma team in a statement on Friday.

“Dylan acknowledges that he made an incorrect move by deviating from his line and that he has been correctly disqualified.

“We have decided that Dylan will not start in a race until the judgment of the disciplinary committee to which the UCI (International Cycling Union) has handed over the incident,” the statement added.

The first stage of Tour de Pologne on Wednesday in Katowice, Poland was disrupted by a high-speed crash just before the finish line. Jakobsen had hit into the barriers after he clashed elbow-to-elbow with Belgium’s Groenewegen. The barriers flew across the road which contributed to the crash of several other cyclists.

Groenewegen crossed the finish line first but he was disqualified as he caused the collision and the organisers announced that Jakobsen is the winner of the first stage. The Dutchman was transported to the hospital in a critical condition after over half an hour of resuscitation. According to Polish media, the rider was put into a pharmacological coma. IANS