Professional cyclist Fabio Jakobsen: "I was afraid of not surviving"

Icon: enlarge

The infamous finish line in Katowice claimed their victims

Two weeks after his bad fall on the Tour of Poland, the Dutch professional cyclist Fabio Jakobsen made his first public statement about his fears of death and announced a long recovery period. "It was a difficult, dark time in the intensive care unit that I was afraid of not surviving," Jakobsen said in a team release on Tuesday. The doctors and nurses saved his life. "I'm extremely grateful for that."

Jakobsen is now back at home, and step by step he can live more independently again. "In the coming weeks and months, I will have several surgeries and treatments to correct the facial injuries," said the sprinter.

Jakobsen crashed into the barriers at high speed in the finish sprint of the first stage of the Tour of Poland last Wednesday and remained motionless. The 23-year-old had been pushed away by his compatriot Dylan Groenewegen. After a five-hour operation, he first had to be put into an artificial coma.

aha / dpa