Dutch cyclist in coma after crash

Warsaw, August 6

Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen was put into an induced coma after sustaining head injuries in a crash on the final stretch of the Tour de Pologne race in southern Poland, organisers said. Sprinting for the win at the end of the event’s opening stage yesterday, Jakobsen was sent flying into the side barriers after a collision with fellow Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen.

Jakobsen, who races for the Deceuninck-Quick-Step team, was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition and was put into an induced coma, the Tour de Pologne press office said. The race’s chief doctor, Barbara Jerschina, said that Jakobsen sustained injuries to his head.

Race director Czeslaw Lang blamed Groenewegen for the crash, saying the rider’s actions were “not fair play.” “Groenewegen changed his trajectory, was pressing Jakobsen to the right side and on top of that stuck out his elbow,” said Lang. — AP