Fabio Jakobsen brought out of induced Coma

A long recovery process awaits the Dutch Champion, doctors optimistic Jakobsen will ride again after horror crash

After being seriously injured in a high-speed crash that took place on the finishing straight of the Tour de Pologne stage 1 in Katowice, Fabio Jakobsen was awakened from coma by the doctors of the Sosnowiec hospital.

Fabio, who underwent a five-hour maxillofacial surgery, was able to move his legs and arms and communicate with the doctors, which immediately ruled out major neurological problems.

Due to the surgery, speaking and eating will be a challenge in the coming period as the recovery process is expected to be a long and arduous one.

Fabio Jakobsen crashed at the finish line on stage one of the Tour of Poland following a collision with Dylan Groenewegen during the final sprint 

The Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider 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.

VIDEO: Tour of Poland 2020 Crash

Dylan Groenewegen apologises to Fabio Jakobsen for horrendous crash

Cyclist Dylan Groenewegen apologised on Thursday after causing a crash in the opening stage of the Tour of Poland which left fellow Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen in a coma.

"I think what happened yesterday is terrible. I can't find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and the others who fell or were affected," he wrote on Twitter, a day after the crash.

"I am thinking about him all the time," he said.

Doctors said Jakobsen, of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, was in a "serious but stable condition".

He underwent a five-hour operation to the head.

"A scan has been carried out and the brain does not appear to have been affected," Pawel Gruenpeter, deputy head of the Sosnowiec hospital where Jakobsen is being treated, told Polish media.

"The main injuries are to the face. Fortunately the eyes have not been affected. The condition is serious but stable," Gruenpeter said.

The doctor also said medical staff would try to wake Jakobsen from his coma on Thursday but a hospital spokesman later said that this process would be "gradual" and not be complete until Friday.

Jakobsen, 23, was thrown into and over a barrier at 80 kilometres (50 miles) an hour as he raced elbow-to-elbow with Groenewegen of Jumbo-Visma in a tight sprint to the line in Katowice in southern Poland.

Groenewegen veered suddenly to the right, squeezing his rival into the security wall. Jakobsen somersaulted over the barriers before colliding with a race official.

Groenewegen went on to win the stage but was later disqualified with Jakobsen announced the winner.

Distraught Dylan Groenewegen Suspended

Dylan Groenewegen, the cyclist whose rash push on Fabio Jakobsen left his Dutch compatriot in a coma after a horror crash on the Tour of Poland, was suspended by his team
Distraught Dylan Groenewegen suspended after horror crash

"We have decided that Dylan will not start in a race until the judgement of the disciplinary committee to which the UCI (International Cycling Union) has handed over the incident," said the Jumbo-Visma team in a statement.

Emotional Groenewegen: 'I am sorry and hope the best for Fabio'.

Groenewegen tells how he experienced the accident and the days since then. "Let's be clear that it is never my intention to endanger other riders," he said in a trembling voice. "But this was clearly my fault. I deviated from my line and that is not allowed."

Groenewegen was left with a broken collarbone from his own crash, but he hardly realized that the evening after the fall. "I have only thought about Fabio and his family and I hope he recovers soon."

Groenewegen was the first to start the sprint in Katowice on Wednesday afternoon. Jakobsen tried to pass him in the last hundreds of meters, when Groenewegen cut him off. "It went so fast, the fences flew over the road and I fell."

"You see a lot of havoc and hear things, they are not pleasant things. You immediately saw that it was not very good," says Groenewegen.

"Then you actually hear right ... you immediately see his teammates standing around it and then you see that it is not good. I can only hope for the best."

Won't even think about cycling

Groenewegen is not allowed to race for his team in the coming period, but he does not want that at all. "I'm not touching the bike for now." "Thinking about sprinting is a long way off. I won't even think about cycling in the coming months. We'll see how it will run afterwards."