Fabio Jakobsen has been forced to halt cycling for the "foreseeable future" due to flow limitations in the iliac arteries in both of his legs.
The Dutch sprinter is in his second season with his current team, Picnic PostNL, but has struggled for form in his first races of the year. His condition has become increasingly prevalent amongst both professional riders in recent years with Shirin van Anrooij and Marianne Vos both forced to undergo surgery due to the problem. It is also an issue which has affected amateurs too.
"Unfortunately after conducting recent tests, we have discovered that Fabio has flow limitation of the iliac arteries," said Picnic PostNL team doctor Camiel Aldershof. "As the diagnosis is very clear and currently limiting him on the bike, he will undergo surgery to attempt and fix the issue."
"Thankfully, he has a more favourable prognosis to return due to the type of limitation; however, this can take some time to come back from. The surgery means that Fabio will be off the bike for around six weeks initially, with no other strenuous physical activity allowed. In the meantime, we will monitor his progress and from there, when he is ready, we will gradually have him return to training and slowly build up intensity again."
External Iliac Artery Endofibrosis is a condition where blood flow is interrupted to a person’s lower limbs due to narrowing or kinking of the arteries around the hip and groin area, particularly during physical activity. It is also known as FLIA - Flow Limitation of the Iliac Artery - and whilst 90% of cases do involve the external iliac artery, it can infrequently involve the common iliac or common femoral arteries instead.
People dealing with the condition can experience a range of symptoms including pain, numbness and swelling in the thigh and calf muscles and less commonly in the buttocks.
"It’s mentally of course a setback, but now that we have found the cause of the issue, I am hopeful that the surgery can then solve it,” Jakobsen added. “Sometimes you need to take one step back to be able to make two forwards, and I hope that’s what I’m going to do now.
"I trained well this winter and came into the season with some confidence. We picked up some top ten results at UAE Tour and Paris-Nice, but when it came to those key moments and high intensity sprint efforts I suffered; my legs simply weren’t working as they should."
Other riders who have previously suffered with the condition include Ineos Grenadiers’ Bob Jungels and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. A research paper published in 2022 called for the condition to be classified as an “occupational disease” for pro riders.
