UCI seeks punishment for Groenewegen after Tour of Poland pileup
Cycling's governing body has referred Dylan Groenewegen to its disciplinary commission following Wednesday's scary pileup in Poland.
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The UCI is seeking sanctions for Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen following the nasty crash at Wednesday’s Tour of Poland opener.
Groenewegen rode countryman Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) into the barriers as the two barreled toward the finish line during the downhill sprint into Katowice. Jakobsen lost his balance and careened into the barriers — his impact sent additional barriers flying into the pathway of the riders, which caused more riders to hit the ground.
Several hours after the crash the UCI released a statement saying it was referring Groenewegen to its disciplinary commission and asking for punishment to be levied against the Dutch fast man.
“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) strongly condemns the dangerous behavior of rider Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma), who sent Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) into the barriers a few meters from the finish, causing a collective crash at the end of the first stage of the Tour of Poland,” said the governing body. “The UCI, which considers the behavior unacceptable, immediately referred the matter to the Disciplinary Commission to request the imposition of sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the facts.”
Groenewegen was disqualified by the Tour of Poland’s race jury a short time after the event.
Overhead shots of the sprint showed Groenewegen deviating from his sprint line as Jakobsen tried to overtake him on the right. In the moments before the crash, Groenewegen appeared to steer further to the right and make contact with Jakobsen.
Groenewegen also hit the ground after the sprint but did not appear to be seriously injured in the crash. After the incident, his Jumbo-Visma released a statement apologizing for the crash.
“Our thoughts go out to Fabio Jakobsen and other people involved in today’s terrible crash in the Tour of Poland. Crashes like these should not happen,” the team posted on Twitter. “We offer our sincere apologies and we will discuss internally what has happened before we may make any further statement.”