Fabio Jakobsen abandons Giro d’Italia before stage 12 after crash

Fabio Jakobsen’s Giro d’Italia journey came to an abrupt end today as he abandoned the race ahead of stage 12. The Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rider suffered a severe crash during the high-speed finale of stage 11, leading to significant discomfort overnight despite initial assessments showing no fractures, only skin abrasions and cuts.

Jakobsen shared his disappointment: “It’s a shame to leave the race like this. I was starting to feel better, my legs were improving, and I was looking forward to being in the fight for results with the team. I’m pretty sore after the crash, so I will rest up and recover before building for the next goals with the team. I wish the guys the best for the remainder of the race, and I’ll be cheering them on from home.”

Team physician Laurens Kappelle elaborated on Jakobsen’s condition: “As we expressed yesterday, Fabio suffered some scrapes and abrasions in the crash but with no fractures. However, it was a hard fall, and his pain has worsened overnight, so in the interest of his health, he won’t start today’s stage and will head home to rest and recover.”

Reflecting on Jakobsen’s contribution and the team’s situation, coach Matt Winston stated: “Fabio had a tough patch at the beginning of the race but he was coming into it well. We saw him do some really nice teamwork in the previous days to keep Romain safe and help with the break formations, so we were hopeful of our chances in the upcoming sprints. It’s a shame to see him leave the race, and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

Winston also acknowledged the challenging start to the Giro for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL: “It hasn’t been the most ideal start to the race here in Italy with some sickness in the team in the first week impacting the majority of the guys and causing us to lose Bram in the first days. We are still super motivated to really get something from this race, and the rest of the guys here will keep fighting to show ourselves at the front.”

Earlier in the race, the team also lost Bram Welten, who was a crucial part of Jakobsen’s sprint train. Despite these setbacks, the team remains focused on the remaining stages with Romain Bardet, Tobias Lund Andresen, Chris Hamilton, Gijs Leemreize, Julius van den Berg, and Kevin Vermaerke ready to continue the fight.