WARSAW (Reuters) – Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen has been put in a medically-induced coma after crashing at the finish line on stage one of the Tour of Poland following a collision with compatriot Dylan Groenewegen, the country’s state controlled news agency PAP reported on Wednesday.
Jakobsen, who rides for the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, was jostling for position with Groenewegen in the final metres, but the pair came together and Jakobsen crashed into the barriers and collided with a race official.
The sport’s governing body, the UCI, issued a statement strongly condemning what it called the “dangerous behaviour” of Groenewegen, accusing him of causing the crash and disqualifying him from the race.
“The UCI, which considers the behaviour unacceptable, immediately referred the matter to the Disciplinary Commission to request the imposition of sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the facts,” the UCI said.
Czeslaw Lang, the race director, also criticised Groenewegen for the incident.
“The competitor who caused this accident drove very incorrectly, because while riding in the middle, seeing that someone was coming out on the right, he started to pull down to the right,” Lang told state-controlled TVP.
The race official’s condition is not life threatening, PAP also reported.
The organisers were not immediately available for a comment.
The 77th Tour of Poland was meant to be held in July but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The race began on Wednesday, with the 196 km first stage taking the riders from the Slaski Stadium in Chorzow, southern Poland to Katowice.
The race was reduced to five stages from the seven originally planned in order to leave room on the calendar for other re-scheduled races.
(Reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Toby Davis)
