Jakobsen: “Almost a fairy tale”
For the time being, the headlines belong to Jakobsen and Groenewegen. With the stage win on Saturday, Jakobsen had already achieved something that no one would have believed him capable of a good two years ago. After all, he narrowly escaped death on that fateful day in Poland. “You can think that it’s a miracle. It’s definitely a special story. Almost a fairy tale,” said Jakobsen almost 700 days later as the Tour stage winner.
The professional from Team QuickStep-AlphaVinyl was in an artificial coma, underwent umpteen operations, and his shattered face alone required 130 stitches. Today he only has a jaw because the doctors reshaped it from parts of his pelvic bone. “I hope my win made a lot of people happy at home,” said the 25-year-old. His fiancee, his sister, his parents and his team gave him the strength to get through his ordeal.
Jakobsen’s success also silenced critics who would rather have seen his British team-mate Mark Cavendish than him on the Tour. After all, the 37-year-old could have celebrated his 35th stage win and thus a record with a day win on this year’s tour. But team boss Patrick Lefevere had other plans. “I’m old and wise and the winner is always right, so right now I’m right,” Lefevere said, adding: “I don’t have to justify myself to people who aren’t smart enough to understand some things.”
With the opening success in Copenhagen and the victory in Nyborg, the Belgian team won two out of three stages. Whether the team can celebrate more victories depends on the corona tests. On the first two days of the tour, numerous supervisors had to travel home due to positive tests. Among them were the sports director Tom Steels, a nutritionist and the press officer. “We can only protect ourselves as best we can. I’m just as afraid of the corona virus as I am of the time limit,” said Jakobsen. The sprinter still has a good week before that plays a role in the mountains.