If riders in a cycling race in Poland on Sunday were surprised to be joined by a suspected bike thief cycling a freshly stolen steed, they were extra shocked when he started overtaking them and mounting a breakaway bid for the finish line.

As reported in Polish news outlet TVP, police were providing security for the local race, which was taking place in the city of Sobótka in the country's southwest, when they spotted a man cycling nearby, whom they recognised from previous encounters. He was astride a spanking new, high-end road bike, a Specialized model later reported to be worth around 28,000 złoty (just shy of £5750), which the eagle-eyed officers strongly suspected he had stolen, and they ordered him to stop.

Ignoring their shouted commands, the 20-year-old man instead took flight and attempted to hide in the crowds of spectators watching the cycling event. The police gave chase and during his efforts to escape, the suspected bike thief veered onto the race route and started riding along with the competitors, pedalling so hard that at one point he managed to mount a breakaway from the main pack.

“The man even overtook the main peloton, posing a danger not only to himself but also to the riders and event staff,” said Anna Nicer, a police spokesperson from the nearby city of Wrocław in a statement the following day. “His dynamic riding meant that, for a moment, he was among the leaders and within podium reach.”

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After a spirited sprint the extraordinary breakaway came to an end and the police managed to catch the errant cyclist and recover the bike, as well as various pieces of kit he had ripped off the bars and thrown to the side during his athletic attempt to escape, including some navigation tech.

The bike, believed to be a high-spec Specialized Tarmac SL8, was subsequently returned to its relieved owner, and the miscreant has been charged with bike theft. It's believed he will be looking at a five-year prison sentence if he is found guilty and convicted, but who knows – with good behaviour he could be out in time for the 2028 or 2029 Tour of Poland, if any teams are interested in taking him on.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Ben Turner earned the biggest victory of his career on Wednesday, sprinting to take stage three of the Tour de Pologne.

The win marked the Brit’s second since he turned pro in 2022, and his first at WorldTour level. Following the wheel of his team-mate Michał Kwiatkowski, Turner was the fastest in an uphill dash to the line in Wałbrzych, Poland, holding off Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) by a bike length.

The stage was neutralised with 15km to go, following a crash involving the race leader Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). The incident came on a bending, single-lane road, and saw Lapeira, as well as around five others, fall into a grassy ditch.

Signalling from a follow car, the race director decided to stop the race for around 15 minutes. A three-rider breakaway was then allowed a 40-second head start, and it was agreed that the GC times would be neutralised, with any resulting time gaps not counting towards the standings.

The breakaway was then caught just before the 1km-to-go banner by a chasing group. After Ineos Grenadiers closed the gap, the peloton then came back together around 500m from the line, when Kwiatkoswki brought Turner to the front for the Brit to launch his sprint.

“A BIG win for Big Ben,” Ineos Grenadiers celebrated on social media. “Ben Turner sprints to victory after a superp team effort on stage 3 at the Tour de Pologne.”

After graduating from British Continental team Trinity Racing, Turner joined Ineos Grenadiers in 2022, and has since become a core part of the team’s Classics squad.

He took his first pro victory in February 2023 at the one-day Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia Costa Cálida, an event in the south of Spain. Since then, the 26-year-old has raced the Tour de France twice and, earlier this year, finished third on a sprint stage of the Giro d’Italia.

Lapeira, despite finishing more than eight minutes down on stage three, continues to lead the Tour de Pologne following the neutralisation. The Frenchman has an eight-second advantage over Turner’s Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Victor Langellotti.

The opening stage was won by Olav Kooij, before Lapeira took a victory and the yellow jersey on stage two. The seven-day race will conclude on Sunday 10 August with a time trial in Wieliczka.

Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) secured the first WorldTour overall win of his career with victory at the Tour of Poland, the Briton completing the seven-stage race with unerring consistency despite not finishing first on a single day. 

Hayter won the Tour of Norway and finished second at the Tour of Britain in 2021, but he hasn't triumphed on GC at a WorldTour race - until now. 

His win makes him just the sixth active British rider to have won a WorldTour race, alongside Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Tao Geoghan Hart, Adam Yates and Simon Yates.

The British time trial champion managed to finish in the top ten on the stage six time trial, completing the 11.8km circuit eight seconds slower than winner Thymen Arensman (Team DSM), and a second behind teammate Magnus Sheffield.

Despite finishing in lower positions across the previous five stages, the 23-year-old constantly managed to finish within the peloton, meaning he only lost time to riders based on bonus seconds.

He did cross the line a couple of minutes after stage four winner Pascal Akermann (UAE Team Emirates), but due to being held up in a crash in the final kilometre, he was awarded the same finishing time. 

His time trial performance therefore helped him move into the overall lead of the race, as the-then leader Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) could only manage to place 16th, over 40 seconds further back. 

Coming into the final stage, a 177.8km ride from Valsir to Kraków, Hayter had an 11 second lead at the top of the standings. Arensman sat in second, while Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) was 18 seconds behind in third. 

The day started with cat-1 and a cat-3 climbs inside the opening 50km, but only a small breakaway comprised of Julius Johansen (IntermarchéWanty-Gobert Matériaux), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel-Premier Tech), Jarrad Drizners (Lotto Soudal) and Syver Wærsted (Uno-X Pro Cycling) managed to get away from the bunch.

With the remainder of the final stage featuring undulating and flat roads, Ineos Grenadiers were able to control the peloton, providing Hayter with the best opportunity for his first WorldTour overall victory. He duly supplied, taking the opportunity with both hands. 

The attackers were caught with 10km remaining, allowing teams to begin getting into position for their sprint lead outs. Hayter sat on the wheel of Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers), biding his time to control any potential attacks from his GC rivals. 

A pan-flat finale made this difficult, though, and the bunch remained in tact as it headed into the last kilometre.

Groupama-FDJ worked their way to the front, allowing Arnaud Démare a free sprint to the line ahead of Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious), in second and third, respectively.

Démare's win ensured he topped the points classification, the second time he has done so this season following his Giro d'Italia performance.

Tour of Poland 2022 final standings 

1. Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, in 28-26-23
2. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Team DSM, at 11s
3. Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain-Victorious, at 18s
4. Matteo Sobrero (Ita) BikeExchange-Jayco, at 23s
5. Ben Tulett (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 25s
6. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 31s
7. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan, at 32s
8. Sergio Higuita (Col) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time
9. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 45s
10. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 50s

Mass crashes occurred in the final kilometre of both the Vuelta a Burgos and Tour of Poland today, with the Spanish race affected by a speed bump following a fast descent, while a tight, high-speed turn marred the conclusion of the Polish race.

At the Vuelta a Burgos, Jumbo-Visma were at the front of the pack heading into the final 700 metres, looking to lead out the sprint for David Dekker. 

However, after a short descent and the pace ever-increasing, the Dutchman hit a speed bump and lost control of his bike, causing a mass pile up behind him. David Ballerini (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) fell hard, unable to avoid the sprawling Dekker, while multiple riders headed into the roadside barriers to take avoiding action as best they could. 

Ballerini's fall caused AG2R Citroën rider Damien Touzé to be thrown over the barriers and into the spectators. Fortunately, no one was stood in the path of the oncoming rider. The Frenchman was treated by race medical support. His situation will be updated when news is released. 

Behind, the rest of the bunch had to slam on the brakes, leaving the Jumbo-Visma trio of Timo Roosen, Edoardo Affini and Chris Harper to ride towards the line unchallenged. They had just managed to avoid the crash, allowing Roosen to take the stage two win.

Meanwhile, at the Tour of Poland, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) won stage five but, like at the Vuelta a Burgos, a mass crash in the final kilometre marred his victory. 

Heading into the last 800 metres of the day for the sprint finish at Rzeszów, the peloton attempted to navigate a sharp right-hand bend after a narrowing of the road from four lanes to two. However, Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) lost control of his bike on the corner. 

With the riders bottlenecked together, this left some with nowhere to go but into each other. 

Bauhaus managed to escape being caught, though, and sprinted ahead of Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) to take the stage victory. 

With the crash coming in the final three kilometres of both races, all riders in both pelotons were given in the same time.

Mark Cavendish will return to racing with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at the Tour of Poland, which gets underway on Saturday 30 July. 

Set to lead the Belgian squad across the seven-stage race, Cavendish will look to put a turbulent month behind him. 

Firstly, he became the British national road race champion at the end of June, but just days later Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl didn't select him for their Tour de France squad. Instead, they opted to have Fabio Jakobsen as their sprinter over Cavendish, who could've taken the outright record number of stage wins at the Grand Tour.

Then, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl general manager Patrick Lefevere said Cavendish won't stay beyond the end of his contract, which expires at the end of 2022. 

Lefevere said: "He will not stay, I think not, it is not possible. It hurts my heart, but every now and then the time comes to say thank you for everything he has done for the team and I hope vice versa.

"I know that he wants to do two more years in the bunch... but he's not part of our project." 

However, the fire still burns brightly within the 36-year-old, and in the intervening period since he has expressed his desire to return to the Tour de France in search of a record 35th stage win, even if it seems that the Manx rider will need to find a new team to do so. 

For now, though, Cavendish will race at the Tour of Poland, at which he has failed to win a stage in two previous editions. The first two stages this year offer his best opportunity for victory, with undulating parcours concluding with flat terrains for likely bunch sprints.

Cavendish will have the opportunity to wear his British champion stripes for the first time in a WorldTour race since 2014. He did wear the jersey in the Surhuisterveen Criterium on Tuesday night, but he hasn't yet donned the colours in a road race. 

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl are placing their belief in him in Poland, with Rémi Cavagna, Josef Černý, Mauro Schmid, Zdeněk Štybar, Bert Van Lerberghe and Mauri Vansevenant all lining up alongside him for the seven-day stage race. 

Sports director Geert Van Bondt said: “It’s a beautiful Tour of Poland with chances for every type of rider. The first two stages will be sprint stages, where we have Mark ready to fight for a good result, with Bert, Zdeněk and Josef there to support him.

"The last stage should be again one for the sprinters, but it will all depend on how the GC teams will race it."

João Almeida capitalised on the confidence after his first WorldTour win, making it back-to-back victories with stage four of the Tour of Poland 2021.

The Portuguese rider held position in a reduced peloton on the brutally steep uphill finish, launching his attack 400m from the line and passing his team-mate Mikkel Honoré.

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) tried to counter and threatened to overtake Almeida, but it was the Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider who secured the victory in the sprint for the line and held onto his race lead for another day.

How it happened

Stage four of the 2021 Tour of Poland, raced over 159.9km from Tarnów to Bukovina Resort, looked to be a good opportunity for the general classification contenders to make their move.

The stage featured seven uncategorised ramps spread throughout the course, but finished with the 4km-long, 5.3 per cent average gradient Lapszanka climb, followed by the 1.9km, 7.3 per cent ramp to the finish.

Early in the stage a number of riders attacked with four men able to get a gap on the peloton in the opening 20km.

Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Marco Canola (Gazprom-RusVelo), Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ) and Larry Warbasse (Ag2r-Citroën) made up the day’s break and they pulled out around a four-minute gap in the opening 80km.

With 36km to race, Alexis Renard (Israel Start-Up Nation) hit out from the peloton and tried to bridge across to the break on the Lapszanka climb, but after 15km out front he was reeled back in by the bunch, as the breakaway’s gap tumbled to around a minute.

As the only categorised climb of the day continued, the break began to fall apart until only Attila Valter was left at the head of affairs, his companions quickly swept up by the bunch.

With 10km to race Valter had just 23 seconds to the bunch, but his heart was swiftly broken as he was caught 7km from the line, as the bunch hit the descent towards the sharp final climb.

Ineos Grenadiers took up the pace-setting at the front of the bunch on the descent, stringing out the race with 6km to go.

As the road ramped up into the final climb it was Deceunicnk - Quick-Step who hit out first with Mikkel Honoré finding space with a big attack, as UAE Team Emirates pursued to keep their man Diego Ulissi in with a shot at the GC.

With 2km to race Honoré had around 18 seconds on the bunch.

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It was race leader Almeida who attacked 400m from the finish and he powered past his team-mate Honoré, pursued by Matej Mohorič who then hit the front 200m from the line.

But Almeida waited in the wheels and started to come past 100m from the finish, sprinting to his second consecutive victory and maintaining his race lead.

Almeida now has an eight-second lead to Mohorič on general classification with three stages remaining.

Tour of Poland 2021, stage four: Tarnów to Bukovina Resort (159.9km) 

1. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 3-51-32
2. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
3. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Ag2r-Citroën
4. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers
5. Dion Smith (Nzl) Team BikeExchange
6. Jai Hindley (Aus) Team DSM
7. Ben Tulett (GBr) Alpecin-Fenix
8. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates)
9. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
10. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

General classification after stage four 

1. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 9-42-47
2. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, at 8s
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 14s
4. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, at 21s
5. Jai Hindley (Aus) Team DSM, at 32s
6. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain Victorious
7. Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert-Matériaux,
8. Giovanni Aleotti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe, all at same time
9. Einer Augusto Rubio (Col) Movistar, at 36s
10. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at same time

Fernando Gaviria made his comeback from a winless season so far, sprinting to victory on stage three of the Tour of Poland 2021. 

The Colombian star was anonymous in the bunch until the final 100m of the stage into Rzeszów, when he found a gap in the middle of the bunch and powered through to secure the victory ahead of Jumbo-Visma’s Olav Jooij. 

João Almeida (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) finished safely in the bunch to hold onto the race lead with four stages remaining.  

How it happened 

Stage three of the Tour of Poland 2021 was another brutally long 226km course, running from Sanok to Rzeszów.

This time the climbing was stacked in the first half of the route, with countless uncategorised ramps and three categorised ascents, all in the opening 100km.

Then into the second half of the stage, there were two bigger climbs, followed by a lumpy final third that led into a pan-flat dash to the line, the first chance for the pure sprinters so far. 

As the flag dropped, a sizeable breakaway began to form and after 20km the leading group was well established, with 10 riders making the cut, including Simon Clarke (Qhubeka-NextHash), Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux). 

That group pulled out almost four minutes on the bunch in the opening 100km, with Deceuninck - Quick-Step the main team pulling in the peloton. 

Into the final 50km the break had been reeled back to around two minutes and it was a tense chase into the final few kilometres, as the escapees were swept up by the bunch with just 3km to go.  

Into the final straight it was Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) who led the bunch for his sprinter Phil Bauhaus, who then tried to latch onto the wheel of the surging Jumbo-Visma train, eventually losing position and getting blocked on the inside. 

As Jumbo’s Olav Kooij launched his sprint 100m from the line the bunch opened up in the middle, with Fernando Gaviria powering into the gap and ploughing past to take the victory, his first of the year. 

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Kooij was knocked into second while Bauhaus held on to take third. 

Almeida holds the leader’s jersey with a four-second advantage to Gaviria’s team-mate Diego Ulissi. 

Tour of Poland 2021, stage three: Sanok to Rzeszów (226.4km)

1. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates, in 5-18-15
2. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
3. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
4. Max Kanter (Ger) Team DSM
5. Max Walscheid (Ger) Qhubeka-NextHash
6. Jonas Rickaert (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
7. Hugo Hofestetter (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation
8. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
9. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers
10. John Degenkolb (Ger) Lotto-Soudal, all at same time 

General classification after stage three

1. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 9-42-47
2. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, at 4s
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at same time
4. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, at 11s
5. Mikkel Honoré (Den) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 18s
6. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain Victorious, at 22s
7. Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert-Matériaux
8. Jai Hindley (Aus) Team DSM)
9. Giovanni Aleotti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe, all at same time
10. Einer Auguso Rubio (Col) Movistar, at 26s 

Phil Bauhaus took victory away from Alvaro Hodeg with his bike throw on stage one of the Tour of Poland 2021.

The opening stage of the WorldTour race finished on a technical cobbled uphill stretch, with Deceuninck - Quick-Step sprinter Hodeg attacking early 300m from the finish.

While the Colombian looked like he had powered clear of the bunch on the incline to the line, Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) put in a huge surge to sneak past right at the line, marking the sixth win of the year for the German. 

Bauhaus now leads overall by four seconds to Hodeg, with six stages remaining. 

How it happened 

The long 216km run from Lublin to Chełm, which replaces the now-banned opening stage into Katowice, featuring three categorised ramps in the opening half, with countless unmarked climbs spread along the course.

Early in the day three riders pulled out a gap to establish the breakaway, with Yevgeniy Fedorov (Astana-Premier Tech), Sean Bennett (Qhubeka-NextHash) and Michał Paluta (Polish national team) getting a seven-minute advantage over the early climbs.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step controlled the pace on the front of the bunch and pulled the gap back down to two minutes with around 100km to race.  

With 50km to race, attacks began to come flying from the bunch as the attackers were caught 3km later.

More attacks followed in the final 30km, with Tom Scully (EF Education-Nippo), Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), and Jos van Emden (Jumbo-Visma) getting a gap, eventually being caught 15km from the line to set up the bunch gallop for the line.

Ineos Grenadiers were pulled on the front in the final kilometres before Deceuninck took over in the final 3km, setting up Hodeg for his surprise attack 400m from the line.

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It looked as though Hodeg had escaped the group for the win, but Bauhaus sprinted late and passed Hodeg to take the stage and the leader's jersey. 

The race continues with a punchy uphill finish after 200km of racing from Zamość Prezemyśl. 

Tour of Poland 2021, stage one: Lublin to Chełm (216.4km) 

1. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious, in 5-01-24
2. Alvaro Hodeg (Col) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
3. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation
4. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
5. David Dekker (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
6. Dion Smith (Nzl) BikeExchange
7. Jonas Rickaert (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
8. Biniam Ghirmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
9. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
10. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, all at same time 

General classification after stage one 

1. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious, in 5-01-24
2. Alvaro Hodeg (Col) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 4s
3. Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz) Astana-Premier Tech, at same time
4. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 6s
5. Michał Kwiatkowksi (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
6. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, at 8s
7. Emila Liepinš (Lat) Trek-Segafredo, at 9s
8. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, 10s
9. David Dekker (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
10. Dion Smith (Nzl) BikeExchange, all at same time 

The Tour of Poland 2021 kicked off on Monday (August 9) with some star names on the start list - here’s how you can watch this year’s race.

Getting underway from the city of Lublin, the peloton takes on seven stages, with a combination of sprint opportunities and punchy climbing days on the course. 

While Poland does not feature the kind of climbs you’d expect from France or Spain, the undulating terrain through the country always offers up exciting Classics-style racing. 

This year’s race includes the likes of Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers), George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma), Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates).

Here’s how you can watch this year’s Tour of Poland: 

How to watch the Tour of Poland 2021 in the UK

Unfortunately, and slightly bizarrely, the 2021 Tour of Poland is not being broadcast anywhere in the UK.

The usual cycling broadcasters GCN and Eurosport are not showing the racing this year, with Dan Lloyd from GCN saying on Twitter that the reasons were too complicated to share on social media.

That means you won’t be able to watch the Tour of Poland in the UK (without the help of a VPN). 

If you’re outside the broadcast zone for the Tour of Poland 2021, No worries – you can just download and install a VPN and choose a location to watch the broadcast live. Full instructions below.

How to live steam the Tour of Poland 2021 from outside your country

If you’re heading out of the country during the Tour of Poland, access to your chosen home broadcaster could be restricted by location.

Luckily there is a way you can keep watching anyway – downloading and installing a VPN, which allows you to trick your computer into thinking it’s back at home. This allows you to find your native broadcaster coverage without having to resort to an illegal stream, as long as you stick to the terms and conditions set out by the broadcaster.

Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.

Try out ExpressVPN  for its speed, security and simplicity to use. We also like that it’s compatible with so many devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc).

There are other great options out there of course, but Express VPN gives you the added benefit of a 30-day money back guarantee and three months free with a yearly plan. 

Watch the Tour of Poland 2021 in the USA, Canada and Australia

For cycling fans in the USA, Canada and Australia, FloBikes will be showing all the racing live. 

FloBikes is available on your TV via Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, while you can always watch on the go using the FloSports app on iOS or Android. 

You will need a subscription to watch the racing and plans start from $12.50 a month. 

How to watch the Tour of Poland in Europe

There will be live coverage of the Tour of Poland 2021 available both in Poland and in France.

Coverage in Poland will be broadcast by Sport.tvp.pl, but the live images will be geo-restricted, which means you won’t be able to watch without a VPN.

In France, L’Equipe TV will also be showing the racing, but again this coverage will be geo-restricted. 

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. 

The Tour of Poland’s now infamous downhill sprint finish has been banned by the UCI, in the wake of Fabio Jakobsen’s serious crash.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step sprinter Jakobsen suffered awful injuries when he was pushed into the barrier at high speed during last year’s edition of the week-long WorldTour race, prompting an ongoing debate about rider safety in the pro peloton.

The Tour of Poland regularly features a rapid downhill sprint finish on the stage into Katowice, which has become infamous as riders have previously hit speeds in excess of 80km/h on the dash to the line.

But the finish will no longer be a feature in the Tour of Poland, the UCI has announced, as cycling’s governing body announces sweeping new measures to improve rider safety.

When asked whether the Katowice finish will be affected by changes, the UCI’s road manager Matthew Knight said: “If we’re using Poland as a good example, the race will no longer use that finish anymore.

“The finish was too high speed - it’s the elevation change in that final kilometre.”

The UCI’s changes, which also include banning the supertuck and forearms time trial position, will also see the governing body introduce a database of race incidents and the development of a route evaluation tool, to help race organisers make decisions on safe courses.

Knight added: “It's an example of where our course evaluation tools will be able to identify that and also the race incident database, to ensure that type of high-speed finish is no longer used.

“So that specific one in the Tour of Poland won't be used again and also to ensure that elevation change in the final that increases the sprint finishes from 15 to 20 kilometres an hour more is something that is not allowed.

“Obviously there's there's other considerations such as the type of road, whether it's a bunch sprint, or not.

“In a bunch sprint, a high-speed finish, the expectation certainly is no bends under 200 metres to go. So that's something we're actively working on and we are in touch with organisers on that and explaining that that's no longer accepted.”

Jakobsen’s crash happened in the sprint finish of stage one of the Tour of Poland last August when Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Groenewegen pushed him into a barrier at high speed and the barriers gave way.

Jakobsen suffered facial injuries and a serious concussion in the fall, while Groenewegen broke his collarbone.

After being disqualified from the race, Groenewegen has now been banned from racing for nine months by the UCI.

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Following the crash, Jakobsen underwent surgery to reconstruct his jaw using part of his pelvis and had to wait for the pelvic bone to heal before he could get back on the bike, and then went for his first ride in November.

Jakobsen needed further surgery in February and is still not sure when he can return to racing, but the 24-year-old is determined to compete again.

The UCI will also be enforcing strict rules on race barriers from April 1 2021, including banning lightweight barriers and ensuring all barriers are firmly attached to each other.

Threats to Dylan Groenwegen were "unacceptable," the men's professional riders' union has said, while raising concerns about the safety barriers at the Tour of Poland. 

The International Association of Professional Riders (CPA) president, Gianni Bugno, has blamed the Tour of Poland's race barriers for the seriousness of Fabio Jakobsen's crash, which happened when Dylan Groenewegan deviated from his sprinting line.

Bugno also shared his disgust at the threats Groenewegen received from the public.

Speaking in a press release on the CPA website, Bugno said: "What happened is inadmissible, unworthy and indecent. Words and actions have weight and those that have been addressed to this boy are unacceptable.

"The finger must be pointed at the dangerous barriers that determined the severity of the fall in which Fabio Jakobsen suffered the most serious consequences.

"Dylan [Groenewegen] made a mistake in the race that he paid dearly, indeed today he is the only one to have paid for what happened at the finish line in Katowice."

The crash happened at the tour of Poland in the sprint finish of stage one into Katowice with Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) and Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) easily beating the other riders.

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But Groenewegen deviated off his racing line, forcing Jakobsen into the barriers. What happened next was the shocking part as Jakobsen plunged through the barriers.

Jakobsen had to be put into an induced coma and underwent multiple surgeries to help try and heal his facial injuries, with Groenewegen being handed a nine-month ban from racing.

Recently it was revealed that Groenewegen had received threats in the post and was also sent a noose, leading his family to get police protection for the Dutchman, who is a new father.

Bugno continued: "I hope that the controversy will now belong to the past and that once the sentence inflicted on Dylan is served, the whole group will welcome him back with friendship and understanding"

A similar crash happened at the Tour de France in 2017 when Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) forced Mark Cavendish (then Team Dimension Data) into the barriers, seeing Cavendish crash out and Sagan kicked off the race.

The finish into Katowice at the Tour of Poland has received criticism for a while now with the finish being slightly downhill, which means the speeds are dangerously fast when the sprinters are at full tilt.

The press release continued added that the CPA wants all races to have a specific level of barrier quality across all UCI races to make sure this never happens again: "As a movement we must do everything possible to ensure the safety of the events and of their main actors. It is our duty to avoid the physical and moral pain that Fabio, Dylan and many other cyclists, both female and male even in the minor categories have lived and are experiencing"

Fabio Jakobsen has ridden his bike for the first time since his awful Tour of Poland. 

The Dutchman has been recovering from his serious injuries after the high speed fall in the opening stage in Poland in August. 

Having undergone facial surgery, which involved having part of his pelvis removed and placed in his jaw, this week the 24-year-old was able to pedal for the first time since the crash. 

In an Instagram post, Deceuninck - Quick-Step sprinter Jakobsen said: “Back on the bike together with Delore on our new Specialized Tarmac SL7s. 

“It has been quite a journey so far.” 

 Jakobsen’s crash happened in the sprint finish of stage one of the Tour of Poland, when Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Groenewegen pushed  him into a barrier at high speed.   

Jakobsen suffered facial injuries and a serious concussion in the fall, while Groenewegen broke his collarbone.

After being disqualified from the race, Groenewegen has now been banned from racing for nine months by the UCI.

Following the crash, Jakobsen underwent surgery to reconstruct his jaw using part of his pelvis and had to wait for the pelvic bone to heal before he could get back on the bike. 

He can now start training once again, but will need another operation in January 2021. 

Jakobsen has also thanked the medical workers and his team for helping him in his recovery.

He said: “With this post I would like to thank all the medical specialists that have helped me along the way. Same goes for Deceuninck - Quick-Step and all the sponsors of my team for the support in my rehabilitation process. Already looking forward to my next surgery in January. In the meantime I will slowly start training again.” 

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There has been no discussion of when Jakobsen might be back to competition, but Deceuninck team doctor Yvan Vanmol said he was confident the rider will race again. 

Dylan Groenewegen has been suspended from racing for nine months for his involvement in Fabio Jakobsen’s crash at the Tour of Poland. 

Dutch sprinter Groenewegen, 27, hasn’t raced since the opening stage of Poland in August, when he deviated from his line in the sprint finish and caused a serious crash. 

The collision happened when Groenewegen forced Deceuninck - Quick-Step’s Fabio Jakobsen into the barriers at high speed, leaving him with severe concussion and facial injuries.

Jumbo-Visma rider Groenewegen, who suffered a broken a collarbone in the fall, was disqualified from the race, while the UCI announced it would investigate the incident and consider disciplinary action against Groenewegen.

On Wednesday morning (November 11) the UCI announced its decision, with Groenewegen receiving a nine-month suspension from the governing body’s disciplinary panel. 

Jumbo-Visma director Richard Plugge said: “It was a crash where the severity of the consequences was unfathomable. Now that the disciplinary case has been concluded, we can start looking forward again. We will do that together with Dylan. We are relieved that there is now perspective and clarity. We wish Fabio Jakobsen the same. The encouraging reports about his recovery do us good.” 

The UCI’s disciplinary commission has ruled that Groenewegen deviated from his sprinting line in the final, committing a violation of the UCI regulations. 

Groenewegen’s suspension will be back-dated to August 5, the day of the crash, so he will not be eligible to race again until May 7, 2021. 

The UCI said Groenewegen will also take part in “a number of events to benefit the cycling community.” 

Groenewegen said: “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 7 is still far away. I am happy with the support I get from Jumbo-Visma, my family and friends. Together we will work towards that day both mentally and physically.”

The crash also sparked concerns about rider safety, as the stage one downhill sprint was a notoriously treacherous finish among pro riders, while the barriers at the side of the road also gave way in the crash, causing Jakobsen to be catapulted into the air when he hit them.

But the UCI has not made any ruling regarding the race organisers. 

A statement from the governing body said: “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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Dutchman Jakobsen, 24, who was placed into an induced coma after the fall, has since undergone surgery to have part of his pelvis removed and placed in his jaw and is recovering well.

He hopes to be back to training within weeks.  

Patrick Lefevere says he takes back his comments about putting Dylan Groenewegen in jail. 

The Deceuninck - Quick-Step manager made the comments after his rider Fabio Jakobsen was left in a serious condition after a high-speed crash on the opening stage of the Tour of Poland. 

Jumbo-Visma’s Groenwegen caused the crash by veering off his line while sprinting for the finish, forcing Jakobsen into the barrier.

The barrier gave way, sending Jakobsen into the air and causing a huge crash at the front of the bunch. 

In the wake of the incident, Lefevere took to Twitter to call Groenewegen’s actions “criminal” and said “they have to put this guy in jail.”

But Lefevere has since taken back his words, saying they were made in “the emotion of the moment.” 

In his column for Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere said: “Of course I have seen Dylan Groenewegen's apologies. I am not inhuman, I realise that he is also very moved and that he did not want Fabio's serious crash.

“That does not alter the fact that he has made a mistake and that he has to bear the consequences. I take back that they should put him in jail - that was the emotion of the moment - but we continue our lawsuit against him.” 

Jakobsen is recovering well after the terrifying crash, after initially being put in an induced coma due to the extent of his injuries.

After undergoing facial surgery in Poland, the 23-year-old has since been transferred to a hospital in the Netherlands where his condition continues to improve.

Jakobsen can still only communicate via text, but his team are hopeful that he can return to racing.  

Groenewegen has apologised for causing the crash, while Jumbo-Visma have said they will not race the Dutch sprinter until the UCI has completed its investigation into the collision.

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Shortly after the crash, Groenewegen said: "I find it terrible what happened yesterday. I can’t find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and the others who crashed or were involved. What matters most now is Fabio’s health. I think about him all the time.”

Remco Evenepoel has started four stage races so far in 2020. And has won four stage races so far in 2020.

The 20-year-old Belgian took the overall title at the Tour of Poland thanks to a stunning 50km solo breakaway on the queen stage four, with Astana's Jakob Fuglsang finishing second on GC, nearly two minutes back, and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) in third.

The Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider held up a number 75 as he crossed the line on stage four, in tribute to team-mate Fabio Jakobsen who is in a serious condition after a crash on stage one. The Belgian WorldTour team continued their winning ways on the final stage five, with Italian Davide Ballerini winning the sprint finish ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe's Pascal Ackermann.

The Tour of Poland marks Evenepoel's first WorldTour stage race win. In January he opened his 2020 account with the Vuelta a San Juan before following it up with the Volta ao Algarve and the Vuelta a Burgos following the resumption of the calendar in August.

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He will now make his way to Italy for Il Lombardia, his first opportunity to win a Monument, before lining up for Tirreno-Adriatico in September ahead of his debut Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia in October.

On stage five Ineos' Luke Rowe was involved in the breakaway, alongside James Whelan (EF) who was looking to mop up KoM points, as well as Geoffrey Bouchard (Ag2r La Mondiale), Hugo Houle (Astana) and Przemysław (Poland).

Their gap only managed to extend to around the three-minute mark before coming back just close enough for Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Jos van Emden (Jumbo-Visma) to jump across with around 65km to go.

Thomas De Gendt was one of the riders tasked with bringing the break back, something that seems diametrically opposed to the very nature of his being.

They were eventually brought back with less than 10km to the finish line, as world Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) took his turn to pace the peloton before the bunch sprint.

Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-McLaren) launched their sprints before Ballerini snuck between the two Germans to snatch victory.

Results

Tour of Poland 2020, stage five: Zakopane to Kraków (188km)

1. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 4-31-22

2. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe

3. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Sunweb

4. Ryan Gibbons (RSA) NTT

5. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE Team Emirates

6. Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel Start-Up Nation

7. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates

8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-McLaren

9. Szymon Sajnok (Pol) CCC

10. Albert Torres (Esp) Movistar, all at same time

Final general classification

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 21-29-50

2. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 1-52

3. Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 2-28

4. Rafał Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 2-32

5. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-09

6. Kamil Małecki (Pol) CCC, at 3-12

7. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Sunweb, at 3-15

8. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, at 3-18

9. Mikel Nieve (Esp) Mitchelton-Scott, at same time

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-19

Simon Yates said Remco Evenepoel "was too strong" after the young Belgian stole a march on the rest of the field at the Tour of Poland with 50km to go, solo-ing to the line to take a commanding GC lead.

The Mitchelton-Scott rider formed part of the chase group with Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) to try and track down the Deceuninck - Quick-Step escapee but it was too little too late.

"It went okay," Yates said, summarising the race. "I think we were looking for an aggressive race and we did that as a team, 60km from the finish or so, just to sort of whittle down the group and really put the pressure on Ineos and Carapaz.

"We did that successfully and it just kind of carried on from there. I managed to make the move there with Jakob and Rafal just to try and catch Remco but that was it. He was just too strong on the day."

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Before the start of stage four, Yates was only 10 seconds down on race leader Richard Carapaz, along with many other riders, and now sits third, two and a half minutes behind Evenepoel.

Things could have been different, however, as the Brit says he was changing his bike at the moment Evenepoel attacked.

"I was trying to force a bit of a selection on the earlier climbs and I just had a bit of mechanical that I needed to switch bikes at a very unfortunate time when Remco went," Yates explained. "It was a big chase, which might have affected me in the final but he was still too strong I think, and he stayed away and chapeau to him."

At what point will Remco Evenepoel have had more solo wins than hot dinners?

On stage four of the Tour of Poland 2020, the 20-year-old hit out with 50km to go and held it until the finish line, the bunch behind failing in their ability to get a competent pursuit together.

The Belgian held up Fabio Jakobsen's number 75 in tribute to his team-mate who crashed on stage one, as he crossed the line nearly two minutes ahead of Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) in second.

Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) and Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) came third and fourth having set off with 30km remaining to try and catch Evenepoel, as Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) rounded out the top five.

How it happened

The queen stage of the 2020 race featured a circuit containing multiple ascents of two category one climbs around the Bukovina resort.

CCC's Kamil Małecki, Nathan Haas (Cofidis), James Whelan (EF), Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) and Patryk Stosz (Poland) were the group of five riders that came together for the day's breakaway.

Gradek and Stosz were present to try and mop up some KoM points early on, but the first was taken by Harper before Haas got the second.

Stosz eventually got his revenge on the third climb of the day, taking the KoM to leapfrog Gradek into the lead as the break maintained a nearly three minute lead over the bunch.

Richard Carapaz and Ian Stannard (both Ineos) were among the riders caught in a crash with 67km to go, Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) also involved, with Ryan Gibbons (NTT) remaining on the ground.

As the race started to come back together with 60km to go, Haas and Stosz were dropped, leaving Whelan, Harper and Małecki up front, the peloton now only 1-30 behind.

Remco Evenepoel had been quite quiet so far, which meant it was time for the Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider to launch a long-range attack, going from 50km out.

The Belgian quickly built up a 20 second lead as the bunch stuttered in organising the chase, doubling it over the next 12km.

A competent chase was still failing to materialise, with Evenepoel taking a minute lead into the final 30km.

Bora-Hansgrohe’s Rafał Majka had soon had enough, setting off in pursuit, followed soon after by Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) completed the experienced trio clubbing together to hunt down a 20-year-old, and were just over a minute behind him with 18km remaining.

On the penultimate climb of the day, Fuglsang dropped both Yates and Majka, but the Dane had left it to late to bring back Evenepoel, who crossed the line first.

Yates took second ahead of Majka, more than two minutes down and 35 seconds behind Fuglsang.

Evenepoel now takes a near two-minute lead into the final stage five.

Results

Tour of Poland 2020, stage four: Bukovina Resort to Bukowina Tatrzańska (152.9km)

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 3-55-52

2. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 1-48

3. Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 2-22

4. Rafał Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

5. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-05

6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Sunweb, at same time

7. Kamil Małecki (Pol) CCC, at 3-08

8. Mikel Nieve (Esp) Mitchelton-Scott

9. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, both at same time

10. Max Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 3-09

General classification after stage four

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 16-58-28

2. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 1-52

3. Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, at 2-28

4. Rafał Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 2-32

5. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-09

6. Kamil Małecki (Pol) CCC, at 3-12

7. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Sunweb, at 3-15

8. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, at 3-18

9. Mikel Nieve (Esp) Mitchelton-Scott, at same time

10. Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-19

Jumbo-Visma have said Dylan Groenewegen will not start a race until the UCI disciplinary committee have made a judgement.

The Dutch sprinter forced Deceuninck - Quick-Step's Fabio Jakobsen into a barrier during the stage one sprint finish at the Tour of Poland, his countryman suffering serious injuries and placed in an induced coma, which he has now successfully woken up from.

The team have wished Jakobsen well, and say Groenewegen "acknowledges that he made an incorrect move by deviating from his line and that he has been correctly disqualified" in a statement.

"We have decided that Dylan will not start in a race until the judgement of the disciplinary committee to which the UCI has handed over the incident.

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"Team Jumbo-Visma stands for fair sportsmanship, within the rules. With his move Dylan broke a sports rule and that's unacceptable," the team continued, adding Groenewegen feels "very sorry" for the "unintentional, severe consequences" for the others who were involved in the crash.

They say they will also offer mental support to Groenewegen and his family, and that some of the ways the Groenewegens have been approached since the crash have been "reprehensible".

"For now, the health and recovery of Fabio prevails. Our thoughts go out to Fabio Jakobsen and the other people involved in the terrible crash in the Tour of Poland," the statement ends.

Jakobsen was successfully woken up from his medically-induced coma on Friday, two days after the crash.

Medical staff have said Jakobsen has thankfully not suffered any brain damage and his spine isn't broken. However, all of the bones in Jakobsen’s face were broken and he lost all his teeth, but fortunately no vital organs were hit. They are yet to find out how much nervous system damage the Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider’s face suffered.

Doctors have successfully brought Fabio Jakobsen out of his induced coma this afternoon, in an important step in the Dutchman's recovery.

Medical staff had initially thought to try and bring him around yesterday but decided to delay it a day when nearly 48 hours would have passed since his crash at the Tour of Poland. The hospital confirmed the Dutch champion was still in a “serious but stable” condition since waking up.

“The patient is conscious, he reacts to solicitations, he is breathing on its own, the [heart function] is normal. We are now very happy," deputy director of Sosnowiec hospital Pawel Gruenpeter said to Polish media.

Thankfully, Gruenpeter says Jakobsen suffered no brain damage and his spine wasn't broken. However, medical staff are yet to find out how much nervous system damage the Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider's face suffered.

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"There was no brain damage and his spine is intact, but it is not clear how much the nervous system in his face was damaged," Gruenpeter said.

All of the bones in Jakobsen's face were broken and he lost all his teeth, but fortunately no vital organs were hit.

Team boss Patrick Lefevere arranged a private flight from Rotterdam to Poland for Jakobsen's girlfriend and parents, who were accompanied by a psychologist who will help the riders and staff present in Poland. Lefevere has also said the team will file a formal complaint to Polish police over the crash. The team boss added that Polish hospital spoke to the press before speaking to the team about Jakobsen's condition.

"Polish doctors do an excellent job, but none of them speak English and our medical staff cannot reach them because of the anti-covid rules," Lefevere told Tuttobiciweb. "And then the hospital speaks first with the press and then with us. However, we will pay for a translator and if we have to take him to the most expensive or most famous surgeon in the world, we will do it ."

Fabio Jakobsen was severely injured when hitting and then flying over a barrier after being forced into one by Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Groenewegen in the closing metres of the sprint in Katowice.

In the immediate aftermath, Lefevere took to Twitter to claim that Groenewegen’s actions were criminal and that "they have to put this guy in jail."

The UCI has already announced that it will investigate the sprint, with Groenewegen potentially in line for repercussions.

Jakobsen's team-mate Julian Alaphilippe has also said there are "a lot of things to change" in cycling.

"For sure, there are a lot of things that can be changed, everybody has to be involved in that decision because it’s too much," the Frenchman said when asked if the UCI and the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) need to join forces in order to make conditions better.

"It’s not the first time unfortunately, it’s really bad. I will not talk too much about it but it’s not only the finish line, it’s the other rider. It has to change – the organiser, the CPA, there is for sure a lot of things to do."

The Tour of Poland, the first WorldTour stage race back after the coronavirus break, will be held behind closed doors with strict coronavirus measures in place.

Fans will be banned from the start and finish locations, while media representatives have not been invited and the publicity caravan has been scrapped.

All associated events in various host cities have also been removed from the race, as they look to keep public attractions to a minimum to reduce the risk of causing any coronavirus outbreaks.

With journalists, photographers and television crews barred, race organisers say they will produce their own media and content with their own people who have undergone the necessary medical tests.

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"These measures have been taken with an eye on safety and health," race organisers said. "And because of the limitations caused by the coronavirus, we have changed even more of the rules around organising this race."

Scheduled for August 5-9, the Tour of Poland is the second WorldTour race of the rescheduled WorldTour calendar after Strade Bianche on August 1. The Vuelta a Burgos also takes place a few days earlier, starting on July 28, which is planning contrasting coronavirus measures.

Fans will be permitted to spectate from the side of the road as long as they abide by social distancing measures, while the media is also welcome, yet will have to stay one and a half metres away from each other as well as riders.

The 2020 Vuelta a Burgos is expecting a high-calibre field, with Deceuninck - Quick-Step's Remco Evenepoel and Sam Bennett, as well as Mikel Landa (Movistar), Richard Carapaz (Ineos) and Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) set to take the start line.

Evenepoel and Carapaz are also expected to race the Tour de Pologne, and will be accompanied by world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana).

Jonas Vingegaard emerged as a deserving winner from the next generation of talent on stage six of the Tour of Poland.

The Jumbo-Visma rider found himself in a trio of promising young riders who had held off the chase from the general classification favourites over a relentless day of climbing.

Vingegaard, 22, was first to launch in a three-up sprint and carried himself clear of Pavel Sivakov (Team Ineos) and Jai Hindley (Sunweb), who took second and third on the stage respectively.

It was a classy performance from Vingegaard, who took his first pro win and moves into the race lead.

How it happened

Stage six of the Tour of Poland 2019 was the first occasion likely to shake up the general classification race, with the sprinters dominating the overall top-10 on the first five days.

The 160km parcours from Zakopane to Kościelisko, near the southern border with Slovakia, incorporated seven categorised climbs, all ranked category one.

Climbing started immediately with a 3.3km climb at 7.1 per cent, which was followed by five 29km laps that each included an ascent of a 2.7km and 8.8 per cent rise.

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The final lap came with 15km left to the line, leading onto a 4.2km and 6.8 per cent climb before a 3km descent to the finish line.

Attacks early in the stage to establish a breakaway resulted in four riders going clear - Tomasz Marczyński of Lotto-Soudal, Simon Geschke from CCC Team, Geoffrey Bouchard (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Petr Vakoč (Deceuninck – Quick-Step).

The gap extended out to more than two minutes in the opening 80km, but with Team Ineos working on the front the advantage dropped to around 1-50.

Astana and Jumbo-Visma also joined the chase as the gap tumbled to under a minute in the final 50km.

The peloton split to pieces on the penultimate lap, leaving just 30 riders in contention as the breakaway were caught around 40km from home.

With around 25km to race, Mitchelton-Scott’s Tsgabu Grmay attacked the front group, which had shrunk to around 25 riders over the course of relentless climbing, with the likes of Pavel Sivakov (Team Ineos) and Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) holding firm. British champion Ben Swift launched his own attack and bridged across to the Ethiopian with 20km to race, the pair pulling out a 30-second advantage over the chasers.

Swift proved himself the stronger rider on the penultimate climb, riding away from Grmay with around 17km to the line and leading the race over the crest.

But the chasing group was close behind, narrowing the gap to 20 seconds as Grmay was caught.

The chasers split once again in pursuit of Swift, with his team-mate Sivakov following Jai Hindley (Sunweb) and a Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard who set off in pursuit, with Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s James Knox bridging across.

Swift was caught early on the final climb with 6km left to ride and was quickly dispatched from the front of the race.

Vingegaard, Sivakov and Hindley, all in their early 20s, led the race up the climb as Knox was also dropped, but there was a concerted chase from the large group behind who had all missed out on the decisive moment, with Formolo the most determined in the pursuit.

The young trio led over the climb onto the decisive descent to the line.

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Hindley proved himself the superior descender, pulling out a small gap but being caught by Sivakov and Vingegaard to set up the three-up sprint.

Vingegaard launched first powering past his rivals and pulling out a insurmountable gap to take the win, marking his first victory as a pro.

Sivakov sprinted to second with Hindley in third, as Vingegaard moved into the race lead.

Results

Tour of Poland 2019, stage six: Zakopane to Kościelisko (160km)

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, in 4-07-13

2. Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Team Ineos

3. Jai Hindley (Aus) Sunweb, all at same time

4. Sergio Higuita (Col) EF Education First, at 8 seconds

5. Rafał Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 10s

6. Pierre Latour (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale

7. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe

8. Tao Geoghegan Hard (GBr) Team Ineos

9. Chris Hamilton (Aus) Sunweb

10. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

General classification after stage six

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, in 22-14-07

2. Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Team Ineos, at 4 seconds

3. Jai Hindley (Aus) Sunweb, at 6s

4. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 17s

5 . Sergio Higuita (Col) EF Education First, at 18s

6. Pierre Latour (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 19s

7. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 20s

8. Christopher Hamilton (Aus) Sunweb

9. Rafał Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe

10. James Knox (GBr) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, all at same time

Luka Mezgec capitalised on perfect positioning in the sprint finish to take a second victory on stage five of the Tour of Poland.

The Slovenian planted himself on the wheel of the Team Ineos lead-out in the final uphill drag to the line, waiting for their train to slow before launching his move in the closing 100 metres and pulling well clear of his rivals.

Lumpy terrain defined the day's racing after an emotional hiatus to commemorate Bjorg Lambrecht on stage four.

The day's three-rider breakaway were denied victory by a reduced peloton and a handful of last-ditch attacks failed, setting up a bunch kick for the line.

Ineos were the dominant team in the final 5km, massing numbers at the front to set up British champion Ben Swift, but their lead-out stalled on the last climb, with Mezgec capitalising to take the win.

Movistar's Eduard Prades surged from behind to take second at the line, with Swift fading and forced to settle for third.

Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) held on over a challenging day for the sprinters to maintain his overall race lead.

How it happened

Stage five marked a return to racing after an emotional few days at the Tour of Poland, with stage four being held as a memorial to Lotto-Soudal’s Bjorg Lambrecht.

The continuation of the race was a 153.8km run from Wieliczka to Bielsko-Biała in the south of the country near the Czech border.

After an opening 80km of undulating and testing terrain, riders then faced the first of three categorised climbs - a 0.9km, 6.8 per cent average category two ascent.

The next climb came 16km later, the second category Rychwald climb (1.6km at 7.3 per cent) before the decisive point of the day.

>>> Netherlands win first ever mixed relay team time trial at European Championships 2019 

At the 114km mark, the peloton took on a first category climb, 4.2km-long at 6.3 per cent average, which carried the race onto the final finishing circuit and four ascents of the climb to the line.

After a flurry of initial attacks that were closed down, the three-rider breakaway formed in the opening 20km, consisting of Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk) Kamil Gradek (CCC Team) and Szymon Rekita from the Polish national team.

Lotto-Soudal’s Jelle Wallays also bridged across to the break early on, having decided to continue the race after the death of his team-mate.

The peloton were content to let the quad escape as the break build up a 3-30 advantage at the maximum.

Bora-Hansgrohe continued to control the race, as they had done over the opening three race days for their sprinter Pascal Ackermann, pulling the breakaway to within a two-minute advantage.

The break were caught on the cat one climb, which sparked off more attacks from the peloton.

Another late breakaway then formed as the race hit the finishing circuit, with Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Merida) triggering the move and being joined by Simon Geschke (CCC Team) and Mitchelton-Scott’s Tsgabu Grmay.

The trio were caught inside 5km as Team Ineos then hit the front with a huge surge of pace on the run to the final climb.

Miguel Ángel López (Astana) then fired a speculative solo attack with just over a kilometre to ride, with Italian champion Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) joining him.

The general classification hopefuls were swept up quickly, setting up the sprint for a reduced bunch.

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Ineos continued to the lead the peloton, with Owain Doull handing over to Tao Geoghegan Hart at the head of the train, with Swift poised and Mezgec on his wheel.

The Ineos lead-out train stalled on the final climb, leaving Swift without enough momentum to kick clear, while Mezgec fired straight past and pulled away to take the win.

Swift tried to hold on for second but faded and was overtaken by Prades, who took second with Swift finishing third.

Tour of Poland 2019, stage five: Wieliczka to Bielsko-Biała (153.8km)

1. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott, in 3-49-55

2. Eduard Prades (Esp) Movistar

3. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Ineos

4. Petr Vakoč (Cze) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

5. Pierre Latour (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale

6. Rafał (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe

7. Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Katusha-Alpecin

8. Marc Sarreau (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

9. Chris Hamilton (Aus) Sunweb

10. Michael Gogl (Aut) Trek-Segafredo, all at same time

General classification after stage five

1. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 18-06-30

2. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott, at 4 seconds

3. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Ineos, at 16s

4. Eduard Prades (Esp) Movistar, at 18s

5. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida, at 20s

6. Quentin Jauregui (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 22s

7. Pierre Latour (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 23s

8. Marc Sarreau (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 24s

9. Clément Venturini (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale

10 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

All of the Lotto-Soudal riders at the Tour of Poland have decided to continue the race, after the death of team-mate Bjorg Lambrecht.

The Belgian talent suffered a fatal crash 48km into stage three of the week-long tour, being rushed to hospital where he died during surgery.

Race organisers decided to neutralise stage four and hold a procession in memory of the 22-year-old, with the Lotto-Soudal squad leading the peloton in an emotional tribute that included a minute’s silence after 48km.

>>> Lotto-Soudal reflect on ‘immeasurable loss’ of Bjorg Lambrecht 

The Lotto team at the Tour of Poland – Sander Armée, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Tomasz Marczyński, Harm Vanhoucke, Jelle Wallays and Enzo Wouters – will all continue the race, after the Belgian gave them the choice to leave after stage four.

Lotto-Soudal said on Tuesday evening (August 6): “After intense consultation and deliberation between our riders and staff, and with the external advice of a trauma specialist, who emphasised the importance of the collective mourning process, the riders got the free choice to take to the start.

“Most of them want to start stage five, but they are free to decide tomorrow morning.”

The team then confirmed on Wednesday morning (August 7) that all riders would take to the start of stage five.

Lotto’s Carl Fredrik Hagen said: “Bjorg will be with me in my heart for the rest of my life and career.

“I’ll ride for him and aim for the victories we were supposed to capture together.”

Stage four of the Tour of Poland was neutralised and held as a 133km procession from Jaworzno to Kocierz.

The peloton stopped after 48km for a minute’s silence, with Lotto-Soudal riders and staff stopping at the front of the bunch.

>>> ‘An extraordinary day of racing’: A memory of Bjorg Lambrecht 

Each team then took turns pulling at the front of the bunch at a set speed of around 35km/h for the remainder of the stage.

The stage culminated with Lotto-Soudal leading the bunch to the finish, stopping ahead of their fellow riders for another moment of reflection.

A black banner had been put up in place of a finish line, with Lambrecht’s name and his race number 143 in white letters.

The Tour of Poland 2019 continues on stage five with a return to planned race from Wielickza to Bielsko-Biała over 153.8km, with Bora-Hansgrohe’s Pascal Ackermann still in the leader’s jersey.

Bjorg Lambrecht’s team-mates led the peloton across the finish line of stage four of the Tour of Poland, as a procession was held in memory of the 22-year-old.

Lotto-Soudal rider Lambrecht suffered a fatal crash 48km into stage three of the week-long race, being rushed to hospital where he passed away shortly after.

Organisers of the Tour of Poland decided to neutralise the race the following day and hold a shortened procession stage in memory of Lambrecht.

>>> Obituary: Bjorg Lambrecht, 1997 – 2019 

The planned 173.3km course from Jaworzno to Kocierz was shortened to 133.7km, with the peloton only taking on one lap of the finishing circuit.

Lambrecht’s Lotto-Soudal team-mates at the Tour of Poland led the peloton for the opening 48km of the stage, before the race was stopped for an emotional minute’s silence.

Lotto riders Sander Armée, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Tomasz Marczyński, Harm Vanhoucke, Jelle Wallays and Enzo Wouters stopped at the front of the bunch for the silence, surrounded by team staff.

Each team then took turns pulling at the front of the bunch at a set speed of around 35km/h for the remainder of the stage.

The entire peloton was clearly affected by the awful news of the previous day, as riders lined up in team colours across the road. Some teams wore black armbands as a mark of respect.

The stage culminated with Lotto-Soudal leading the bunch to the finish, stopping ahead of their fellow riders for another moment of reflection.

A black banner had been put up in place of a finish line, with Lambrecht’s name and his race number 143 in white letters.

Belgian team Lotto released a tribute to Lambrecht on Tuesday (August 6), the day after his death, as the team rolled through a neutralised stage four of the Tour of Poland in his memory.

The team said: “During the 2016 cycling season, as a first year U23, everybody was talking about Bjorg, within and also outside the peloton. Words like ‘pocket climber’, ‘rough diamond’, ‘puncher’, ‘Grand Tour hope’ were used.

“With playful determination, he integrated into the world of professional cycling. Team-mates and staff appreciated his work ethic and humility, opponents discovered his talent, and the media appreciated his nuanced but clear story.”

>>> ‘An extraordinary day of racing’: A memory of Bjorg Lambrecht 

The team said that Lambrecht had got on well with German sprinter André Greipel, who left Lotto last season, and domestique Sander Armée, also sharing a room with older rider Lars Bak and youngster Harm Vanhoucke.

Lambrecht was also friends with Tour de France winner Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) and Katusha-Alpecin’s Steff Cras, as all three joined the WorldTour at the same time.

The Tour of Poland 2019 continues on stage five with a return to planned race from Wielickza to Bielsko-Biała over 153.8km, with Bora-Hansgrohe’s Pascal Ackermann still in the leader’s jersey.

Organisers of the Tour of Poland have opted to neutralise stage four after the tragic death of Bjorg Lambrecht.

The Lotto-Soudal rider crashed 48 kilometres into stage three and suffered serious injuries and was resuscitated, before being taken to hospital where he died shortly after.

Tour of Poland race director Czeslaw Lang announced that stage four of the race would be neutralised and shortened as a tribute to 22-year-old Lambrecht.

There has been a huge outpouring of emotion from both riders and teams after the news.

Lang said: “We are all incredibly shaken by this tragedy. Words fail to describe the emotions that we’re all feeling. I share the pain with Bjorg’s family, his team and all members of the cycling community. At the same time I reiterate our full support.

“Bjorg Lambrecht will forever remain in our memories as an exceptional cyclist and a great man.”

Stage four of the race from Jaworzno to Kocierz will be neutralised and has been shorted from 173.3km to 133km with the final laps reduced to one.

Lambrecht crashed after around 50km remaining of the 150km stage three from Chorzów to Zabrze, when he left the carriageway on a straight and wide road.

The Belgian was resuscitated after the fall and was rushed to hospital, before Lotto-Soudal confirmed shortly after the stage ended that he had died.

A statement from Lotto said: “The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and team-mates of Bjorg has become reality today.

“Lotto-Soudal is deeply saddened to inform that 22-year-old Bjorg Lambrecht passed away following a crash in the Tour of Poland today.

“The entire Lotto-Soudal team would like to express its deepest condolences to the family, friends, team-mates and all the loved ones of Bjorg.

“May you rest in peace Bjorg.”

Lambrecht was riding his second season at WorldTour level and has been one of the great Belgian hopes.

He  finished second in the under-23 World Championships last year and went on to ride to 12th in the Critérium du Dauphiné this year, taking the youth classification in the process.

Lambrecht also finished fifth in Brabantse Pijl earlier this year, following up with sixth in Amstel Gold Race and fourth in Flèche Wallone.

Fabio Jakobsen emerged triumphant after a dramatic final on stage three of the Tour of Poland 2019 only to be quickly relegated for pushing a rider in the sprint, handing a second victory to Pascal Ackermann.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step sprinter Jakobsen looked to be out of contention into the final 200 metres but fired from a long way back to knock race leader Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) into second.

But footage from the sprint showed Jakobsen taking his hand off the bars to push Groupama-FDJ's Marc Sarreau to make space for his move.

Sporadic downpours throughout the day caused treacherous racing, as two out of the three riders in the breakaway went down in the final 6km after sliding on wet road surface.

Ackermann was gifted the win as Jakobsen was relegated, holding the race lead with Danny van Poppel (Jumbo-Visma) taking second and Trek-Segafredo's Mads Pedersen in third.

The stage result was overshadowed by the tragic death of young Belgian rider Bjorg Lambrecht of Lotto-Soudal, who crashed on the stage and subsequently died in hospital.

How it happened

Stage three of the Tour of Poland 2019 was a nailed on opportunity for the sprinters, with a 150.5km pan-flat route from Chorzow to Zabrze in the south of the country, culminating in three laps of a 19km finishing circuit.

With only categorised climb on the route – 400 metres long at 4.5 per cent – there was minimal appetite to spend the day in the breakaway, with only three riders attacking from kilometre zero and immediately being allowed an advantage.

Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk), Evgeny Shalunov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) and Adrian Kurek (Poland) were the three riders sailing away from the peloton early on.

The trio built up a considerable six-minute advantage in the opening 30km, but the peloton opted to ramp up the chase to ensure the bunch sprint.

Rain began to fall heavily on the race, but conditions improved as the escapees were reeled back to a 2-30 advantage with 70km of racing left.

Bora-Hansgrohe held the front of the peloton to control the pace for race leader Pascal Ackerman, with UAE Team Emirates.

Downpours started once again to drench the peloton and caused hazardous racing conditions, as proven by a crash on a roundabout with around 40km to the line, which took down three Novo Nordisk riders.

With 30km left to race, the breakaway trio held a one-minute advantage but with Bora still driving the pace the catch looked inevitable.

Despite the odds being stacked against them, Planet, Shalunov and Kurek committed to the break and still held 15 seconds with eight kilometres left to race, as the drying roads posed more danger for the peloton.

Drama then struck with around 6km left to the line as Planet was caught out by a wet patch on a gentle left-hand turn, sliding out and forcing Kurek wide who then barrelled through the pedestrians at the side of the road.

Shalunov avoided the fall and pushed on alone but was caught with just over 2km left to race, setting up the bunch dash for the line.

All the major sprinters were still represented at the front of the bunch, as Bora continued to smash the race for Ackermann.

Bob Jungels then set a pace for Jakobsen, with Gaviria and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) not far behind.

Jakobsen that started his sprint from eighth wheel, giving Groupama-FDJ’s Marc Sarreau a pretty hefty push with his left hand to make space.

It was a huge sprint from a long way back that took the Dutch champion to the line first, but race leader Ackermann was later handed the victory after Jakobsen's push had been reviewed by commissaires.

Results

Tour of Poland 2019, stage three: Chorzow to Zabrze (150.5km)

1. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3-29-41

2. Danny van Poppel (Ned) Jumbo-Visma

3. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo

4. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo

5. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Sunweb

6. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

7. Mac Sarreau (Fre) Groupama-FDJ

8. Andrea Peron (Ita) Novo Nordisk

9. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates

10. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida, all same time

General classification after stage three

1. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 10-00-01

2. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates, at at 12s

3. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott, at 14s

4. Pawel Franczak (Pol) Poland, at 16s

5. Jakub Kaczmarek (Pol) Poland, at 17s

6. Danny van Poppel (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 18s

7. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck-Quick-Step, at 20s

8. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Ineos, at 22s

9. Quentin Jauregui (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at same time

10. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida, at 23s

Bjorg Lambrecht has died after a crash at the Tour of Poland 2019.

Lotto-Soudal announced that the 22-year-old Belgian had died after a fall during stage three of the week-long race.

Lambrecht was involved in a crash and race organisers said he had been resuscitated before being rushed to hospital.

Update: Riders and teams pay tribute to Bjorg Lambrecht 

Shortly after the finish of the stage, Belgian WorldTour team Lotto confirmed the news.

The team said: "The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to family, friends and team-mates of Bjorg has happened.

"Rest in peace Bjorg."

News of Lambrecht's crash emerged in the final 100km of stage three, with the official Tour of Poland Twitter account releasing a statement that said he was on his way to hospital after hitting a culvert in a fall and that he had undergone "emergency reanimation."

An initial statement from the Tour of Poland organisers said: “We’re very sad to report a serious crash for Bjorg Lambrecht of Lotto-Soudal who needed helicopter transport to a hospital following emergency reanimation.

“We’ll report when we know more, but we hope it’s nothing too serious and are wishing fast recovery.”

The race organisers later said: “According to unofficial information, doctors managed to bring life functions back to Bjorg Lambrecht (Lotto-Soudal), but his condition didn’t allow for transportation by helicopter. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.”

Lotto-Soudal also confirmed he was on his way to hospital after the crash, before confirming at around 6pm on Monday (August 5) that Lambrecht had died.

Lambrecht was riding his second season at WorldTour level and has been one of the great Belgian hopes.

He  finished second in the under-23 World Championships last year and went on to ride to 12th in the Critérium du Dauphiné, taking the youth classification in the process.

Lambrecht also finished fifth in Brabantse Pijl earlier this year, following up with sixth in Amstel Gold Race and fourth in Flèche Wallone.

UPDATE: Bjorg Lambrecht dies after crash at Tour of Poland 2019

Lotto-Soudal rider Bjorg Lambrecht was taken to hospital after receiving “emergency reanimation” following a crash at the Tour of Poland.

The 22-year-old Belgian fell in the final 100km of stage three and was taken to hospital after being resuscitated, according to race organisers.

Lambrecht hit a culvert, according to race organisers, who initially said he had been airlifted to hospital but released another update that said his condition didn't allow for him to be taken by helicopter and that he was taken to hospital by ambulance.

An initial statement from the Tour of Poland organisers said: “We’re very sad to report a serious crash for Bjorg Lambrecht of Lotto-Soudal who needed helicopter transport to a hospital following emergency reanimation.

“We’ll report when we know more, but we hope it’s nothing too serious and are wishing fast recovery.”

The race organisers later said: "According to unofficial information, doctors managed to bring life functions back to Bjorg Lambrecht (Lotto-Soudal), but his condition didn't allow for transportation by helicopter. He was taken to hospital by ambulance."

Lotto-Soudal confirmed the fall for Lambrecht on social media saying: “Our Bjorg Lambrecht has crashed and has been taken to hospital.”

Lambrecht is riding his second season at WorldTour level and has outstanding results in both hilly one-day races and big stage races like the Critérium du Dauphiné.

He  finished second in the under-23 World Championships last year and went on to ride to 12th in the Criterium du Dauphine, taking the youth classification in the process.

Lambrecht also finished fifth in Brabantse Pijl earlier this year, following up with sixth in Amstel Gold Race and fourth in Flèche Wallone.

We will update this story with more information as soon as it's available.

Cyclists and horses don't normally mix too well, but an escaped pony managed to safely navigate its way through peloton after getting into the road at the Tour of Poland.

The incident took place with little over 100km on the WorldTour race's sixth stage to Zakopane, with the tiny horse appearing on the left of the peloton having apprently run out of a nearby field.

>>> Watch: Dog joins bike race; has the time of its life as it races ahead of peloton

All is going well until the horse approaches a left-hand bend where it struggles for rear-end grip, just managing to keep things horse-shoe side down while accelerating out of the corner.

With legs only about a foot and a half long, the poor little pony struggles to keep up with back of the bunch, with riders steadily coming around it until it is trailed off the back, and hopefully tracked down by its owner and taken back to its field.

Marcin Bialoblocki (Poland) upset the WorldTour riders in the final time trial of the 2015 Tour of Poland on Saturday, winning the stage as Spaniard Ion Izagirre (Movistar) secured the overall race victory.

Bialoblocki is better known as a rider for British continental team One Pro Cycling, and is a stalwart of the UK time trial scene. Riding for his national team and as Polish national champion, Bialoblocki pulled out the stops to better Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky), in second place, and Rick Flens (LottoNL-Jumbo), in third.

Starting the day in sixth place overall, Izagirre put in a solid ride around the 25-kilometre course to gain over a minute on overnight leader Sergio Henao (Sky) and claim the race victory. Henao slipped to eighth overall.

It was a close-run final stage, with former race leader Bart De Clercq (Lotto-Soudal) putting in a late bid to reclaim the yellow jersey. De Clercq finished the race just two seconds down on Izagirre overall, with fellow Belgian Ben Hermans (BC Racing) in third at three seconds.

Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) put in a noteworthy performance in the time trial ahead of his appearance in the Vuelta a España later in August. He finished the race in fifth place overall, 15 seconds down on Izagirre.

>>> Tour of Poland 2015: news, results, reports

Results

Tour of Poland 2015, stage seven: Kraków to Kraków, 25km ITT

1. Marcin Bialoblocki (Pol) Poland in 28-45

2. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky at 2 secs

3. Rick Flens (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo at 59 secs

4. Damien Howson (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge at 1-09

5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at 1-16

6. Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Ag2r at 1-23

7. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at 1-24

8. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha at 1-25

9. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Trek Factory Racing at 1-26

10. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 1-26

Final overall classification

1. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Movistar in 26-04-38

2. Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at 2 secs

3. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing at 3 secs

4. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha at 14 secs

5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 15 secs

6. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 19 secs

7. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r at 40 secs

8. Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky at 54 secs

9. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin at 1-23

10. Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky at 1-32

Colombian Sergio Henao (Team Sky) put in an attacking performance on stage six of the Tour of Poland on Friday to take a solo victory and the overall race lead.

The conclusion of the hilly stage saw the peloton get whittled down to a small group of contenders, with Henao and Sky team-mate Mikel Nieve taking it in turns to attack and soften up the opposition.

After Henao attacked one last time over the top of the final climb, he opened up a significant gap that a concerted effort by Fabio Aru (Astana) and the other chasers could not close.

>>> Tour of Poland 2015: latest news

Italian Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) placed second on the stage with American Lawson Craddock (Giant-Alpecin). Aru finished fourth.

Henao is tied on time with Ulissi overall. Overnight leader Bart De Clercq (Lotto-Soudal) rode well among the climbers to finish the stage in 10th spot, but slipped to third overall at 10 seconds - due to bonus seconds earned by Henao and Ulissi.

The 2015 Tour of Poland concludes tomorrow (Saturday) with a final, decisive individual time trial stage around Kraków. With such little difference between the top riders in the overall classification, literally every second will count.

Results

Tour of Poland 2015, stage six: Bukovina Terma Hotel Spa – Bukowina Tatrzańska, 174km

1. Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky

2. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 8 secs

3. Lawson Craddock (USA) Giant-Alpecin

4. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r

5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at same time

6. Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky at 11 secs

7. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing

8. Jon Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at same time

10. Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at 16 secs

Overall classification after stage six

1. Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky

2. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida  at same time

3. Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at 10 secs

4. Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin at 11 secs

5. Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing at 14 secs

6. Jon Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at 14 secs

7. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 17 secs

8. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r at 19 secs

9. Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky at 22 secs

10. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha at 27 secs

Video: Secrets of the toolbox - Team Sky

Maciej Bodnar sprinted away from his two breakaway companions to win stage four of the Tour of Poland in Nowy Sacz in a stage where the peloton misjudged their chase.

Bodnar, Kamil Zielinski (Poland) and Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) helped themselves to the first three places on the podium as Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) won the sprint in the peloton for fourth place.

Race leader Marcel Kittel was out of contention in the finale, having been dropped in the chilly and damp conditions on the 220km route, crossing the line nine minutes down on Bodnar.

The time gap for Zielinski sees the 27-year-old move into the leader's jersey for Thursday's stage five from Nowy Sacz to the ski resort of Zakopane.

Tour of Poland 2015, stage four: Jaworzno to Nowy Sacz, 220km

1. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, 5:14:29

2. Kamil Zielinski (Pol) Team Poland, st

3. Gatis Smukulis (Latvia) Katusha, st

4. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge, at 20s

5. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Giant-Alpecin, st

6. Tom Van Asbroek (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, st

7. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Cannondale-Garmin, st

8. Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC, st

9. Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ, st

10. Sebastien Turgot (Fra) Ag2r-La Mondiale, st

Overall classification after stage four

1. Kamil Zielinski (Pol) Team Poland, 15:06:27

2. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, at 3s

3. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge, at 22s

4. Marcis Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing, at 22s

5. Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 24s

6. Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 28s

7. Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ, st

8. Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Team Sky, st

9. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx-Quick-Step, st

10. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, st

A tumble from Orica-GreenEdge sprinter Caleb Ewan resulted in just nine riders contesting the sprint at the second stage of the Tour of Poland on Monday.

The young Australian bumped shoulders with Lampre-Merida's Sacha Modolo causing him to pinball into Trek's Giacomo Nizzolo on the other side of him. Of the two, only Ewan came down, but he brought the whole peloton to a halt in the process.

The mass of bodies sprawled across the tarmac meant that no riders could pass and many, in fact, ended up on the ground as they skidded to miss the accident.

Unfortunately, for many riders, crashing was unavoidable as dozens of them flipped over their handlebars and onto the pile of cyclists. Race organisers say there are no reports of serious injuries.

IAM Cycling's Matteo Pelucchi won the stage, with race leader Marcel Kittel claiming second place and retaining the jersey.

Because the crash happened in the final three kilometres, all riders held up were given the same time as the winner, meaning Ewan stays in second overall.

German sprinter Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin) won the opening stage of the 2015 Tour of Poland on Sunday, his first race since missing out on selection for the Tour de France after suffering a protracted illness and losing race fitness.

The relatively short and flat opening stage around Warsaw ended up in a bunch sprint after the day's escape group was caught, with Kittel taking the victory ahead of Australian Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge) in second and Italian Niccolo Bonifazio (Lampre-Merida) in third.

Thanks to his time bonus, Kittel leads the race by six seconds over Ewan and 10 seconds over Bonifazio.

>>> Marcel Kittel to resume racing at Tour of Poland

Kittel has suffered from lingering illness throughout the 2015 season, and his Poland victory is his first since the People's Choice Classic back in January. He will be seeking more stage wins in the coming few stages of the race, and hoping to set up a successful end to what has been a torrid season so far.

The WorldTour-level Tour of Poland runs from Sunday, August 2, to Saturday, August 8, and features six road stages and a final individual time trial. The race continues on Monday with 146km stage two from Częstochowa to Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Home rider Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) won the race last year, and ranks as one of the leading favourites alongside World Champion and compatriot Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-QuickStep).

>>> Tour of Poland 2015 preview

Results

Tour of Poland 2015, stage one: Warsaw to Warsaw, 122km

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Giant-Alpecin

2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge

3. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Lampre-Merida

4. Dennis Van Winden (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

5. Sebastien Turgot (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale

6. Kris Boekmans (Bel) Lotto-Soudal

7. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana

8. Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ

9. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx-QuickStep

10. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Movistar all same time

Overall classification after stage one

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Giant-Alpecin

2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge at 4 secs

3. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 6 secs

Video: Secrets of the toolbox - Giant-Alpecin

Rafal Majka sealed the overall victory at the Tour of Poland after the short time trial on the final stage in Krakow.

Kristof Vandewalle won the 25km time trial stage from Adriano Molari and Britain's Steve Cummings in third.

After winning the two previous stages Majka still had work to do today to hold off the Movistar pair Benat Intxausti and Jon Izaguirre who were only 18 and 22 seconds behind, respectively.

Majka, now known for his climbing having won the King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de France, managed to limit his losses and finish 13th in the time trial to take the overall win by just eight seconds.

Majka becomes the first Polish rider to win his home tour in eleven years when Cezary Zamana in 2003. Omega Pharma's young neo-pro Petr Vakoc, who held the yellow jersey earlier in the race, held on for a top ten finish.

RESULT

2014 Tour of Poland stage seven

1. Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Trek Factory Racing 29-18

2. Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar +0:03

3. Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC +0:10

4. Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC +0:20

5. Gorka Izaguirre (Esp) Movistar +0:22

6. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Sky +0:28

7. Jon Izaguirre (Esp) Movistar +0:29

8. Bob Jungels (Lux) Trek Factory Racing +0:34

9. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r-La Mondiale +0:38

10. Michael Matthews (Aus) OricaGreenEdge +0:38

Final overall classification

1. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 30:16:18

2. Jon Izaguirre (Esp) Movistar +0:08

3. Benat Intxausti (Esp) Movistar +0:22

4. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r-La Mondiale +0:34

5. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida +1:20

6. Andrey Amador (Crc) Movistar +1:21

7. Philip Deignan (Ire) Sky +1:24

8. Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin +1:41

9. Dominik Nerz (Ger) BMC +1:42

10. Petr Vakoc (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step +1:49

Rafal Majka (Tinkoo-Saxo) won for second day in a row at the Tour of Poland, and moves into the overall lead.

Previous leader Petr Vakoc (Omegas Pharma-Quick Step) drops down to eleventh overall, after he was dropped on the final climb to ultimately lose 48 seconds.

Majka made his race winning move with just over two kilometres to go. After good work from teammate Oliver Zaugg had thinned out the bunch on the final climb, Majka put in a committed attack. Movistar’s Jon Izagirre was the only rider able to stay with him, and even he sat up a few metres later as Majka maintained a relentless pace.

Izagirre did, however, manage to limit his losses to just ten seconds, as teammate Benat Intxausti caught back up to him and pace him up to the summit. This Spanish pair now lie 18 and 22 seconds respectively behind Majka on the GC, and look like the Pole’s main rivals heading into tomorrow’s deceive time trial.

A dozen other riders finished around  twenty seconds down, but look a little too far behind Majka to threaten for the overall lead, with Christophe Riblon in fourth at 39 seconds.

Majka had in fact made his first move on the penultimate climb of the day, and managed to force a selection of around five riders towards the top. But the Pole showed visible signs of frustration as the rest of his escapees showed no interest in working with him as a group, and they were all eventually caught on the descent.

Petr Vakoc put up a spirited fight for the yellow jersey and, despite being dropped from the peloton on the penultimate climb, managed to re-join at the bottom of the descent. The Czech rider had evidentially expelled a lot of energy doing so, however, and was dropped immediately as the road went upwards again.

Earlier, a lively start to the day eventually saw an 8-man group breakaway, featuring Christian Meier (Orica-GreenEdge, Damiano Caruso (Cannondale), Maciej Paterksi (CCC), Sergey Chernetski (Katusha), Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r), Sergey Lagutin (RusVelo), Johannes Frohlinger (Giant-Shimano) and Davide Malacarne (Europcar). They were never given much leeway from the Tinkoff-led peloton, however, and were all reeled with over 20km left to ride.

Result

2014 Tour of Poland, stage six

1. Rafal Majka’s (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo in 4-40-58

2. Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar at 0-10

3. Jon Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at st

4. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r at 0-19

5. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre at 0-20

6. Wouter Poels (Ned) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

7. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano

8. Robert Gesink (Nor) Belkin

9. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha all at st

10. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step at 0-26

Overall Classification after stage six

1. Rafal Majka’s (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo in 29-46-17

2. Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar at 0-18

3. Jon Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at 0-22

4. Christophe Riblon (Fra) Ag2r at 0-39

5. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha at 0-40

6. Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin

7. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano

8. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre all at st

9. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step at 0-46

10. Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) CCC at 0-47

Rafal Majka gives home crowd something to cheer

Rafal Majka’s (Tinkoff-Saxo) extraordinary summer continues, with victory in stage five of the Tour of Poland.

The Pole moves us to second overall in the general classification behind Petr Vakoc (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who, despite being dropped a kilometre from the finish line atop the Strbske Pleso, holds on to the yellow jersey by just one second.

The win comes just a matter of weeks after Majka became a household name thanks to his performance at the Tour de France, where he won two stages and the polka-dot jersey.

Despite including three ascents of the category one Strbske Pleso, no rider managed to mount a successful attack, and a large group contested the sprint for the win.

It was a slow-motion sash to the line, and Majka won largely thanks to his perfect timing. Movistar’s Ben Intxausti opened up his sprint a few hundred meters from the line, and was pursued by Gianluca Brambilla (Omega Pharma-Quick Step). But this pair tired as the line approached, allowing Majka – who had cunningly lurked in the slipstream of Warren Barguil (Giant-Shimano) to pass them just before crossing the line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgpq__JXQ00&list=UUr-zwAWtbcpy9Trzp9U6pqQ

Before this sprint, several riders had tried to break clear from the bunch on the final climb, including Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Sky), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and Robert Gesink (Belkin).

Defending champion Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge) put in the best looking move with just over a kilometre left to ride, and managed to both open up a gap and force riders to be dropped from the back of the peloton. But he was caught just as Intxausti made his move to the line.

Tinkoff-Saxo was responsible for the pace setting early on in the climb, going at a steady enough speed to discourage attacks yet not thin out the bunch. Despite fading from the front towards the top, they ultimately did enough to se Majka up for the win.

Matteo Bono (Lampre-Merida), Sebastian Lander (BMC), Yaroslav Popovych (Trek), Marco Haller (Katusha), Gediminas Bagdonas (Ag2r), Jimmy Engoulvent (Europcar), Pawel Bernas (Poland) and Maciej Paterski (CCC) formed the break of the day, and were joined by a group of counter-attackers with the race on the final circuit.

Of those counter-attackers, Christian Meir (Orica-GreenEdge) attacked the group alone, and was the only survivor of the break by the summit of the penultimate ascent of the Strbske Pleso. The Canadian hung on for a while long, but was finally reeled in just as the riders began the final ascent of the climb.

Tomorrow again features several climbs, and, as the last road stage of the race, is likely to prompt the climbers into attacking.

RESULT

2014 Tour of Poland, stage five

1 Rafal Majka’s (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo in 4-30-38

2 Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar

3 Ion Izagirre (Spa) Movistar

4 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step

5 Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano all st

6 Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC at 0-01

7 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale at st

8 Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Belkin at 0-02

9 Andrey Amador (CRC) Movistar

10 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre all st

Overall Classification after stage five

1 Petr Vakoc (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quick Step in 25-05-28

2 Rafal Majka’s (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 0-01

3 Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar at 0-05

4 Ion Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at 0-07

5 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale at 0-11

6 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha

7 Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) CCC

8 Peter Velits (Svk) BMC

9 Andrey Amador (CRC) Movistar

10 Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin all st