UCI, in a fit of safety concern, will hand Groenewegen a lengthy suspension

According to Wielerflits, Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Greoenwegen is facing a lengthy suspension for his actions in the sprint on the opening stage of the Tour of Poland, which left fellow Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) seriously injured.

Wielerflits reports that the UCI is set to announce a punishment for Groenewegen this week following a decision from an independent arbitration committee that recommended a suspension of nine months, backdated to August.

Groenewegen is facing the possible suspension after driving Jakobsen into the barriers in Poland, causing Jakobsen to crash heavily. Jakobsen broke multiple bones in his face and spent time in a medically induced coma, and he is still recovering from the many injuries suffered in the crash.

Should Groenewegen indeed be suspended for nine months as reported, he will be out of competition until May 6 of next season. He has not raced since he was thrown out of the Tour of Poland on August 5, with the Jumbo-Visma team announcing later that month that it would bench him for the foreseeable future.

A nine-month suspension would represent a major penalty for a dangerous sprint, without much precedent in the way similar incidents have been treated in the past. As Wielerflits points out, Theo Bos received a one-month suspension for pushing Daryl Impey into the barriers at the 2009 Tour of Turkey, while Wang Xin received a six-month ban for attacking a staff member of the Swiss national team at the Tour of Hainan.

For now, the UCI has yet to make any statement on the subject. If it does, indeed, announce a nine-month ban, Groenewegen could still appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).