Fabio Jakobsen has said he was ‘afraid of not surviving’ his awful crash at the Tour of Poland, which left him in intensive care with serious injuries.
The Dutch sprinter suffered a shocking fall when he was forced into a barrier at high-speed during stage one in Poland earlier this month, which left him with injuries to his face and a severe concussion.
Deceuninck - Quick-Step sprinter Jakobsen has now thanked medical staff who saved his life at the roadside and has shared an update on his health.
The 23-year-old said: “ It is now two weeks after my crash in Poland. The trauma doctors and nurses at the finish line in Katowice saved my life, for which I am extremely grateful to them.
“I spent a week in the intensive care unit at St Barbara hospital in Sosnowiec. Here they immediately operated on me for five hours and gave me the chance to live. I am very grateful to all employees of this hospital.
“It was a difficult, dark period for me in the ICU, where I was afraid of not surviving. Thanks in part to the organisation behind the Tour de Pologne and my team Deceuninck – Quick-Step, my family was able to be close to me, which gave me a lot of strength.”
Jakobsen was transferred to the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands and is now back at his home.
He will now need time to let the wounds to his face heal and will have to rest due to his concussion.
>>> ‘We won’t stand for it much longer’: Riders voice anger again over race safety
Jakobsen said he will need multiple operations to fix his facial injuries.
He said: “I want to let everyone know that I am very grateful that I am still alive. All the messages and words of support have given me tremendous strength. Step by step I can slowly look to the future, and I will fight to recover.”
