The first stage of the Tour of Poland was marked by several falls. One of them, very delicate, was practically at the finish line.
The action occurred in the final packaging, in which the Dutch Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) came to the dispute of partial victory.
(Also read: Arnaud Demare won the Milano-Torino)
Groenewegen was about to win the stage, but he displaced Jakobsen and sent him against the fences. That action generated a fall in which several runners and a judge who took a photograph near the finish line were affected.
The barriers fell after the side of the roadway, causing other runners to fall.
Groenewegen was disqualified and the race organizers were studying more penalties. On the official page of the race Jakobsen appears as the winner of the fraction.
“You cannot act this way. I have just met with the judges and will surely be disqualified, although we will see if this ends there”, Race organizer Czeslaw Lang told Polish TV TVP Sport that he was visibly upset with the Dutch sprinter’s move.
“It was an uneven fight. One of the runners has suffered a lot, like two other riders and one of the judges. The rest of the runners are more or less well,” added.
For now, Deceuninck-Quick Step CEO Patrick Lefevere announced that it plans to take legal action against Groenewegen.
I go to court this kind of actions have to be out of cycling. This is an criminel fact mister @GreenWegenD
– Patrick Lefevere (@PatLefevere) August 5, 2020
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“I go to court, these kinds of actions have to be outside of cycling. This is a criminal act, sir @GroenewegenD”, Lefevere wrote.
Another who reacted violently was Belgian Remco Evenepoel, Jakobsen’s teammate: “They have to give him a life sentence. Damn it! What a shame !!!” he wrote on his Twitter account.
They should be suspended for life.
Goddamnit! Shame on you!!!— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) August 5, 2020
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According to a RAI journalist, Jakobsen is conscious but injured, and there is concern for the health of the spectator who received the impact. The stage award ceremony was canceled.
Fabio Jakobsen would be conscious but injured, Dylan Groenewegen has been disqualified, the podium ceremony for the first stage has been canceled and there is much concern for the gentleman invested on the roadside
– Stefano Rizzato (@stefanzzato) August 5, 2020
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The Deceunick-Quick Step team reported that their doctors are treating their Dutch runner Fabio Jakobsen, the worst stop in the rugged sprint that resolved the first stage of the Cycling Tour of Poland, played between the Slaski and Katowice stadium on 195.8 kilometers.
News in development.
SPORTS
With AFP and Efe
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