Dylan Groenewegen receives a remarkable punishment after being crashed in a bunch sprint

Dylan Groenewegen has received a remarkable punishment from the UCI after a crash in the sprint preparation for stage two of the Tour of Hungary. The Dutchman wanted to be in the wheel of Mark Cavendish, the later stage winner, and dealt several blows to Sam Welsford. The UCI punished Groenewegen… by taking ten seconds off him in the general classification.

In addition to his time penalty, Groenewegen also loses 20% of his points in the points classification. He can keep his second place in the daily results and the bonus seconds he achieved.

It is, to say the least, a remarkable punishment. Earlier this week there was another serious crash in the Tour of Hungary, which included the fall of Campbell Stewart. Emils Liepins, who unknowingly caused the fall by deviating from his line, was then punished by a declassification.

Several cycling followers on social media are questioning the punishment handed out. They argue for a heavier sentence for Groenewegen due to dangerous behavior. Welsford teammate Cesare Benedetti also had a clear message. “After what happened today, I’m happy that Cavendish won. It would have been a shame if Groeneweg had crossed the line first.”

View the images below and judge for yourself.