Dutch rider Fabio Jakobsen has been placed in a coma and undergone facial surgery following a horrific crash at the Tour of Poland on Wednesday.

The 23 year-old was edged into the barriers by rival sprinter Dylan Groenewegen in the final dash for the line and was airlifted to hospital where his condition is said to be ‘stable’.

And while the cycling world held its breath as they awaited news of Jakobsen’s health, his team Deceuninck-QuickStep eventually released a statement earlier today.

They said: "Fabio Jakobsen had facial surgery during the night. His situation is stable at the moment and later today the doctors will try to wake Fabio up."

Meanwhile, Groenewegen took to social media on Thursday to apologise for causing the crash.

He said: "I hate what happened yesterday. I can't find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and others who have been dropped or hit.

"At the moment, the health of Fabio is the most important thing. I think about him constantly."

Groenewegen, who suffered a broken collarbone himself, won the stage but was then disqualified, with cycling’s governing body the UCI saying they ‘strongly condemn the dangerous behaviour’.

Among those who have showed support for Jakobsen’s condition is British rider Mark Cavendish.

‘The Manx Missile’, who has won 30 stages of the Tour de France, posted a picture which has been circulating around social media with the words ‘Forza Fabio’.

The Tour of Poland continued on Thursday as planned.