Dylan Groenewegen, found responsible for Fabio Jakobsen’s very serious accident during the last Tour of Poland, said he had to live under police protection.
The last few months have definitely been complicated for Dylan Groenewegen. The Dutch sprinter, resident of the Jumbo-Visma formation, is currently serving a nine-month suspension, imposed by the International Cycling Union. Indeed, the rider was accused of having caused the very heavy fall of his compatriot Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step), at the finish of the second stage of the Tour of Poland. The Dutch champion had seen his life threatening involved and he also suffered serious facial injuries. For his part, Groenewegen, now 27, is expected on the Tour of Hungary, from May 12 to 16, for his comeback.
Groenewegen: “The threats have become more numerous”
In the meantime, the cyclist, five-time winner of stages on the Tour de France, has confided at length to Helden Magazine, a local media, thus indicating in particular to have been obliged to live, during a certain period, under police protection: “After the insults on social networks, the threats have become more numerous and concrete. I received several letters (threatening) and a noose to which I was told to hang my son who was not yet 1 year old. When you receive this kind of mail, you get scared… I then alerted the police, who took my story very seriously and placed us, my family and me, under protection. It was very strange to experience. A police team was permanently installed in front of my home and, if I wanted to go out, I had to warn one of the officers so that he could accompany me. One evening, while we were going to have dinner at my parents’ house, the driver of a car waved to us and started zigzagging right behind us. He passed me at a time when it was almost impossible. “ From now on, all this history thus seems to be old history for the principal concerned.