Fabio Jakobsen will return to racing this week after Tour of Poland crash 

Fabio Jakobsen will return to the peloton this week after his awful crash in last year’s Tour of Poland.

Jakobsen will be racing once again in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, an eight-stage race that starts this weekend.  

The Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider suffered serious injuries during the opening stage of the Tour of Poland last August, after he was forced into the barrier by rival sprinter Dylan Groenewegen at the line. 

Jakobsen, 24, suffered brain trauma and serious facial injuries, with the Dutchman undergoing multiple operations since the incident.

While Jakobsen has been working his way back to fitness, it was unclear when he could return to the peloton, but his team now confirmed he will race again at the Tour of Turkey, starting on Sunday, April 11.  

The race is often well-suited to the sprinters, as five of the six stages in 2019 went to the fast men, including one stage for Jakobsen.

This year’s race is an expanded edition after the 2020 race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with two additional stages added. 

After his crash last year, Jakobsen got back on the bike for the first time in November.

Jakobsen then attended the first Deceuninck - Quick-Step training camp of the 2021 in Spain in January, where he rode alongside legendary sprinter and now team-mate Mark Cavendish. 

Cavendish said at the time he was “honoured to witness how deep somebody can go.” 

In an Instagram post Cavendish, the winner of 30 Tour de France stages, said: “It’s special that at 35 years old, I can still get inspired every day by seeing someone ride. The cycling world knows what Fabio has unfortunately got to come back from. 

“It’s not nice, but I feel honoured to witness how deep somebody can go, how much fight and desire they have in them to return, and how unafraid of being seen to suffer they are."

He also underwent multiple facial surgeries during the course of recovery, undergoing his last operation in February to have implants placed into his jaw.  After a week off the bike, he was then able to return to training and focus on his first races.

As Jakobsen returns to racing this week, the other rider involved in his crash Dylan Groenewegen is still awaiting his first chance to race since the crash.

Jumbo-Visma rider Groenewegen was banned from racing for nine months by the UCI for dangerous sprinting, with his suspension coming to an end next month.

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Groenewegen will make his comeback at the Tour of Hungary on May 12, and will then race a number of smaller races, including the ZLM Tour, the BinckBank Tour, and the Tour of Guanxi.