First stage of Tour de Poland overshadowed by HORROR crash on final sprint as Dutch rider Fabio Jakobsen flies over the barriers while jostling for first place… causing mass pile-up in the chasing pack
- Fabio Jakobsen crashed into barriers at the opening stage of the Tour de Poland
- The Dutch cyclist was elbow-to-elbow with Dylan Groenewegen at the finish
- As the pair vied for position, Groenewegen appeared to clip his compatriot
- It caused havoc with a pile-up that saw multiple other riders hit the asphalt
Fabio Jakobsen suffered a serious-looking crash just before the finish line at the opening stage of the Tour de Poland.
The Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider went crashing into the barriers as he jostled for position and a stage victory with Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jumbo–Visma).
Dutch cyclist Jakobsen – who is being tended to by doctors since the crash – had raced into the final metres of the race elbow-to-elbow with compatriot Dylan Groenewegen.
Fabio Jakobsen suffered a serious-looking crash at the opening stage of the Tour de Poland
He was jostling for position and a stage victory with fellow Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen
But then he came up the inside of his compatriot, and as the pair vied for position, Groenewegen appeared to unintentionally clip Jakobsen.
That moment caused Jakobsen to vault into the barriers and cause havoc amid a domino-like pile-up that saw multiple riders hit the asphalt as they crossed the line.
Jakobsen’s impact knocked advertising hoardings and barriers into the path of the cyclists, sending multiple riders to the ground as they tried to avoid what lay ahead of them.
Groenewegen was declared the winner of the race, with Marc Sarreau and Luka Mezgec also making the initial podium.
Jakobsen’s impact knocked advertising hoardings and barriers into the path of the cyclists
That crash also sent multiple riders to the ground as they tried to avoid what lay ahead of them
But reports have suggested that Groenewegen’s win will be disqualified in due course.
The sprint capped off a hilly 195.8km stage that connected two of Poland’s largest sports stadiums.
Riders including Mark Cavendish departed the Silesian Stadium in downtown Chorzow before tackling a hilly route and the finishing sprint at the Sodek arena in Katowice.