Causing an accident and the subsequent coma of a colleague to a cyclist ends with a nine-month disqualification

Dutchman Dylan Greveneven of the Jumbo-Visma cycling team has been disqualified for nine months for causing the fate of his compatriot Fabio Jacobsen, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Wednesday.

The incident took place in the first stage of the Tour de Polonia, when at the finish of the sprint, fighting elbow to elbow, Jacobsen got to roll over the barrier and collide with a man standing there after a sudden turn of the wheel by Greveneven, pushing the rival into the safety wall.

In the first stage, the victory was celebrated by Greveneven, but later he was excluded from the competition, declaring the winner, now 24-year-old Jacobsen.

Greenevegen, 27, “cooperated with the investigation and agreed to a period of disqualification until May 7, 2021,” the UCI said in a statement. He has not raced since the accident in early August.

After the accident in Katowice, Jacobsen spent two days in a coma and needed a five-hour facial reconstruction surgery immediately after the accident. In October, he underwent a second operation to repair his broken jaw.

The accident occurred while interfering at a speed of 80 km / h.

Before the collision with the race official, Jakobsen broke the fences.

“I am very grateful that I am still alive,” Jacobsen said after his condition had improved enough to be transported home to the Netherlands.

Patrick Lefebvre, general manager of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, called the incident a “criminal act” and a “very clumsy act of Greeneven”.

Grenevegen, who underwent a collarbone fracture in the autumn, apologized to the victim on social media and Dutch television, and his team disqualified him pending a decision by the UCI.

“I can’t find words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and the others who fell or were affected,” he said. “I think about him all the time.”

During the investigation, the UCI stated that Grevenegegen “acknowledged that he had changed direction and had violated the UCI’s rules”.

In addition to his disqualification, “the rider also agreed to take part in a number of events for the benefit of the cycling family,” the UCI added.

“The UCI emphasizes the importance of disciplinary action against all such incidents in a fair and consistent manner, as well as continuous work on measures to improve road safety,” the statement said.

Representatives of the Polish tour were criticized for organizing the finish of the sprint on the descent and the type of fencing used. The race experienced another severe fall in the third stage, which ended with French cyclist Michael Delage being taken to hospital.

The Jacobsen incident happened a year after the death of 22-year-old Belgian sprinter Bjorg Lambrecht, who died in a 2019 tour of Poland by falling and crashing into a concrete structure.

– .