Bernie Eisel – Finish where Jakobsen crashed is dangerous, it should have been banned years ago

Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen were involved in a huge crash on the finishing straight in Katowice on Wednesday, with Jakobsen being rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma due to the severities of his injuries.

And Eisel says part of the blame has to be on the route itself, a finish that he says he campaigned to get banned for years.

“I was speechless because I drove this route for many years,” the Eurosport pundit said.

“It's not a sprint, but rather a three percent descent to the finish line and that should have been banned years ago. The pace is just too fast.

“Two years ago, Pascal Ackermann & Co. escaped a fall with a lot of luck. Fabio Jakobsen's crash could have been avoided by simply doing the sprint the other way around.

“In my career I have tried for three years to change this sprint in dialogue with the organiser. Unfortunately I didn't succeed.”

Jakobsen suffered a number of serious facial traumas in Wednesday's crash, including to the eye-socket and jaw. He also suffered contusions to the chest and an impact to the head, and remained in intensive care after surgery on Thursday morning.

The UCI responded to the incident by condemning dangerous cycling by Groenewegen, saying: "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) strongly condemns the dangerous behaviour of rider Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma), who sent Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quickstep) into the barriers a few metres from the finish, causing a collective crash at the end of the first stage of the Tour of Poland.

"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."

Groenewegen, who was also taken to hospital with a broken collarbone, said in a statement released by his team Jumbo-Visma: "I can’t find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and the others who crashed or were involved. What matters most now is Fabio’s health. I think about him all the time."