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The UCI has issued a nine-month ban to Dylan Groenewegen after the incident that left Fabio Jakobsen fighting for his life.

Groenewegen banned for nine months by UCI after Jakobsen crash

Dylan Groenewegen has been banned for nine months after he caused a crash which left fellow cyclist Fabio Jakobsen in an induced coma.

The incident happened at the Tour of Poland in August, with Groenewegen deviating from his line and nudging Dutch compatriot Jakobsen during a sprint for the finish.

Jumbo-Visma suspended Groenewegen from competing until the UCI made a ruling over any sanctions, with the governing body announcing its decision to impose a backdated ban on Wednesday.

"The UCI referred the case against the rider, who acknowledged that he deviated from his line and committed a violation of the UCI Regulations," read a statement.

"The rider collaborated with the investigation and accepted to serve a period of suspension until 7 May 2021, corresponding to a period of nine months from the date of the incident.

"The rider also accepted to take part in a number of events to the benefit of the cycling community."

Jakobsen spent a week in intensive care and has undergone facial surgery, with the 24-year-old on a long road to recovery.

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De valpartij in de eerste etappe van de Ronde van Polen zal voor altijd een zwarte bladzijde in mijn carrière blijven. Tijdens de sprint ben ik van mijn lijn ben afgeweken. Dat spijt me, want ik wil een faire sprinter zijn. De gevolgen waren heel ongelukkig en ernstig. Daar ben ik mij zeer bewust van en hoop dat dit voor elke sprinter een wijze les is. Ik volg het nieuws van Fabio's herstel op de voet. Ik kan alleen maar hopen dat hij op een dag weer volledig zal kunnen terugkeren. Door de disciplinaire zaak met de UCI af te ronden wordt duidelijkheid gecreëerd en dat stelt mij in de gelegenheid weer vooruit te kijken. Daar ben ik blij om, ook al is 7 mei nog ver weg. Ik prijs me gelukkig met de steun die ik daarbij krijg van Team Jumbo-Visma, mijn familie en vrienden. Samen zullen we zowel mentaal als fysiek naar die dag toewerken. The crash in the first stage of the Tour of Poland will forever be a black page in my career. During the sprint I deviated from my line. I am sorry, because I want to be a fair sprinter. The consequences were very unfortunate and serious. I am very aware of that and I hope this has been a wise lesson for every sprinter. I follow the news of Fabio’s recovery very closely. I can only hope that one day he will return completely. Closing the disciplinary matter creates clarity. That gives me the opportunity to look ahead again. I am happy about that, even though May 7th is still far away. I am happy with the support I get from Team Jumbo-Visma, my family and friends. Together we will work towards that day both mentally and physically.

A post shared by Dylan Groenewegen (@dylangroenewegen) on Nov 11, 2020 at 1:07am PST