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Groenewegen, who rides for the Jumbo–Visma
team, was jostling for position with Jakobsen in the final
metres of the first stage of the Tour of Poland when the pair
came together.
Jakobsen, 24, crashed into the barriers and collided with a race
official. He was taken to hospital and underwent facial surgery
while Groenewegen was disqualified.
"The UCI referred (to its disciplinary commission) the case
against the rider, who acknowledged that he deviated from his
line and committed a violation of UCI regulations," cycling's
governing body said in a statement.
"The rider collaborated with the investigation and accepted to
serve a period of suspension until May 7, 2021, corresponding to
a period of nine months from the date of the incident."
Jumbo–Visma said they were relieved that there is now
perspective and clarity.
"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," the team said in a statement.
Groenewegen said the crash would "forever be a black page in my
career."
"During the sprint I deviated from my line. I'm sorry, because I
want to be a fair sprinter," he said.
"The consequences were very unfortunate and serious. I'm very
aware of that and I hope this has been a wise lesson for every
sprinter. I follow the news of Fabio's recovery closely. I can
only hope that one day he'll return completely."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby
Chopra)
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