From a coma to a Tour stage victory

Groenewegen sat down exhausted on a cold curb and was overwhelmed by his emotions. After his victory on the third stage of the Tour de France in Sønderborg, the Dutchman was in tears. Like his compatriot Jakobsen the day before, emotions overwhelmed him.

“Fabio was very, very strong. I congratulate him on his victory, now I have won too. That’s how it is on the tour,” said a visibly shaken Groenewegen. "It was a long way. I can only thank my team, my family and my friends. Mentally it was a difficult time after everything that happened.” The 29-year-old dedicated his success to his wife and son.

Dylan Groenewegen also went through a difficult time. © ANSA / Mads Claus Rasmussen

At the beginning of August 2020, Groenewegen pushed Jakobsen into the barriers while sprinting at 80 kilometers per hour on the first stage of the Tour of Poland. He was then considered persona non grata for a long time and was banned for several months. The Jakobsen fairy tale For now, the headlines belong to Jakobsen and Groenewegen. With the stage win on Saturday in Nyborg, Jakobsen had already achieved something that no one would have believed him capable of two years ago. After all, he narrowly escaped death on that fateful day in Poland. “You can think it’s a miracle. It's definitely a special story. Almost a fairy tale,” said Jakobsen almost 700 days later as Tour stage winner.

“I hope my victory made a lot of people happy at home” Fabio Jacobsen

The professional from the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team was in an artificial coma, underwent countless operations, and his shattered face alone required 130 stitches. He only has a jaw today because doctors reshaped it from parts of his pelvic bone. “I hope my victory made a lot of people happy at home,” said the 25-year-old. His fiancée, his sister, his parents and his team gave him the strength to get through his suffering. Critics fall silent With his success, Jakobsen also silenced the critics who would have preferred to see his British teammate Mark Cavendish take part in the Tour instead of him. After all, the 37-year-old could have celebrated his 35th stage victory and thus a record with a day's victory on this year's Tour. But team boss Patrick Lefevere had other plans. “I am old and wise and the winner is always right. So at the moment I'm right," said Lefevere, followed by: "I don't have to justify myself to people who aren't smart enough to understand some things."

Thanks to the opening success in Copenhagen and the victory in Nyborg, the Belgian team won two of three stages. Whether the team can celebrate further victories depends on the corona tests. On the first two days of the tour, numerous carers had to travel home due to positive tests. These included the sports director Tom Steels, a nutritionist and the press director. “All we can do is protect ourselves as best we can. “I’m just as afraid of the coronavirus as I am of the time limit,” said Jakobsen. The sprinter still has a good week before this plays a role in the mountains.

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From a coma to a Tour stage victory

Two years ago, Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen caused one of the biggest crash dramas in cycling. Fall victim Jakobsen fought for his life after the crash, bad boy Groenewegen was banned for months. Now everyone celebrated a stage success at the weekend as if they were victories of fate.

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