The UCI has banned Dylan Groenewegen for nine months, which is longer than some riders’ suspensions for doping violations, and taken no action against the Tour de Pologne organisers.
Groenewegen’s ban, which lasts until May 7th next, was imposed for his sprint on the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne in August.
- Further reading: Is Dylan Groenewegen really the villain of Tour de Pologne crash?
He moved off his line, causing Fabio Jakobsen to crash.
However, the Dutch rider’s fall became an horrific incident when the finish
line crash barriers failed.
Jakobsen crashed through them and hit the upright gantry on the finish line. The barriers then broke apart, turning into projectiles and flying into the road and into the bunch of riders.
The UCI’s sole focus for action to date has been on Groenewegen (Jumbo Visma) and comes as Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) still faces surgeries as part of his recovery, just over three months after the crash.
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The CPA, the pro riders' union, criticised the downhill nature of the sprint at the time and the barrier set-up. While the UCI made general pledges to review safety, it stopped well short of criticising safety at the race.
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The UCI was expected to impose a ban of nine months on Groenewegen, who has said the sprint will always be a "black page" on his career. On Wednesday morning the UCI issued a statement confirming that nine-month sanction.
“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that its disciplinary commission has rendered its decision in relation to the incident involving the Jumbo-Visma rider Dylan Groenewegen at the first stage of the Tour de Pologne on August 5th,” the UCI said.
“The UCI referred the case against the rider, who
acknowledged that he deviated from his line and committed a violation of the
UCI regulations.
“The rider collaborated with the investigation and
accepted to serve a period of suspension until May 7th, corresponding to a
period of 9 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.
“The UCI emphasises the importance of acting on any such
incidents from a disciplinary point of view in a fair and consistent manner as
well as continuously working on measures aimed at improving road safety.”
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