"There is no perfect solution" - Fabio Jakobsen on the delicate matter of creating flawless rulebook for completely safe sprints

You won't find a better face for safer cycling than Fabio Jakobsen. The 28-year-old Dutchman was victim to one of the nastiest sprint crashes in 2020, yet he miraculously recovered and even though his career has been on a rollercoaster since then, he's still a force to be reckoned with.

“I think safety has improved and we haven’t seen an accident like mine happen again so that’s a good thing and let’s hope it stays that way, but I think organisations and the UCI should always keep looking at what we can improve to avoid extreme crashes like that, and among sprinters and riders we need to make sure that it’s safe," Jakobsen tells Rouleur.

"Sprints are getting more crowded, and with more crowds you have a much bigger chance at an accident. There are more teams focused on sprints, and more riders able to do a top-five. It’s just more busy." With Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, Dylan Groenewegen, Sam Welsford or Fernando Gaviria at the start of the upcoming UAE Tour, things will once again get very hectic.

Finally, Jakobsen introduces the idea of reworking the rules of sprinting, rather than restricting riders' gear choice as was suggested by the likes of Wout van Aert previously. "If you’re going to make the gear smaller, then a lot of riders will start riding with shorter cranks so they can create more RPMs. Maybe we then want to create some rules about sprinting itself, about when you are allowed to deviate from the line without endangering others."

He reveals that discussions among current and former pros, as well as the cycling union CPA, have been ongoing. "The question is: are you allowed to choose a side? And if you are, is the rider behind allowed to follow? Because if the one behind is allowed to follow and endangers another, then whose fault is it? Is it the guy starting, or is it the guy chasing? The guy in front is going to say, 'I moved, but I didn’t endanger anyone', but the second guy is going to say, 'but I just followed the slipstream'. There is no perfect solution," he sighs.

Jakobsen points out that an ideal (according to him) rule would have probably relegated Mark Cavendish on his way to the record-breaking 35th stage victory, while Jakobsen’s long-time rival Jasper Philipsen, known for his grey zone moves, would've been penalized several times too.