Cyclist in Poland crash stable after ‘5-hour’ surgery on face

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WARSAW, Aug 6, (AP): Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen endured a fivehour surgery and remained in a serious but stable condition on Thursday after a controversial crash with Dylan Groenewegen near the finish line of the Tour of Poland.

Jakobsen was fighting for victory with countryman Groenewegen on Wednesday in the first stage when the latter deviated from his line in the final meters and sent Jakobsen crashing through roadside barriers.

Groenewegen crossed the line in first place then hit the tarmac in a Sprinting for the win Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen (left), hits the side barriers at the start of a crash with his countryman Dylan Groenewegen (second left), on the final stretch of the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne race in Katowice, Poland on Aug 5. (AP) mass crash.

Jakobsen, who was awarded the stage win after Groenewegen was disqualified, was taken to St Barbara’s Specialized Hospital in Sosnowiec, southern Poland, where he underwent surgery on his skull and face.

“There is no direct threat to his life now,” hospital deputy director and doctor Pawel Gruenpeter said on Thursday. Gruenpeter added surgery was “very complicated due to the nature of the injuries but went with no complications.”

Jakobsen’s Deceuninck QuickStep team said no brain or spinal injury was revealed, and doctors would try to bring him out of an induced coma later Thursday.

According to the race’s chief doctor, Barbara Jerschina, three other riders – Damien Touze, Marc Sarreau and Eduard Prades – were also hospitalized along with a Polish race official who was hit by Jakobsen.

The International Cycling Union condemned Groenewegen’s attitude and determined he was responsible for the crash. Groenewegen was disqualified by the race jury and faces further disciplinary sanctions.

“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 federation said in a statement.

Police and prosecutors in Katowice are investigating the crash.