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Groenewegen apologises for causing horror crash in Tour of Poland

Incident at the end of the stage left Fabio Jakobsen with serious injuries

Dylan Groenewegen and Fabio Jakobsen. Photographs: Philippe Lopez and Luc Claessen/AFP/Getty via Getty Images)

Thu Aug 6 2020 - 17:15

Dylan Groenewegen has apologised for Wednesday's Tour of Poland crash which left fellow rider Fabio Jakobsen with life-threatening injuries.

Dutchman Jakobsen (23), was placed in a medically-induced coma on Thursday due to face and head injuries sustained in a high-speed collision at the end of stage one in Katowice.

“I hate what happened yesterday,” Groenewegen said on Twitter. “I can’t find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and others who have been dropped or hit.

“At the moment, the health of Fabio is the most important thing. I think about him constantly.”

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Jakobsen crashed over a barrier and into a race official after Groenewegen had drifted across the road into his path during a sprint finish.

Groenewegen, also from Holland, crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified and the 27-year-old’s action was condemned by cycling’s governing body.

A UCI statement read: "The Union Cycliste Internationale strongly condemns the dangerous behaviour of rider Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma), who sent Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quickstep) into the barriers a few metres from the finish, causing a collective crash at the end of the first stage of the Tour of Poland.

“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.”

Stable condition

Doctors will attempt to wake Jakobsen from his coma on Thursday after he underwent surgery overnight.

Jakobsen, who was airlifted to hospital, is now in a stable condition and his team, Deceuninck-QuickStep, have confirmed he had not suffered brain or spinal injuries.

“Fabio had facial surgery during the night. His situation is stable at the moment and later today the doctors will try to wake Fabio up,” Deceuninck-QuickStep said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Movistar have confirmed that Edu Prades will not compete in the second stage of the event after he was one of the riders involved in the incident in Katowice.

Prades spent the night in hospital after suffering a wound to his back which required stitches and the 32-year-old Spaniard is set to fly to Pamplona to undergo further check-ups following a small fracture to a cervical vertebra.

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