After Friday’s heavy crash on stage 1, stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia has also been rocked by a serious crash. Heading into the finale, things went completely wrong at a wet right-hand bend, bringing a large number of riders down. Several GC contenders were among the casualties, and the race was neutralised as a result.
GC teams move up, predicting chaotic finish
Despite a stage plagued by rain throughout, things had actually been going reasonably smoothly for a long time. The peloton maintained a steady tempo, reeling in two early breakaway riders before the finale. The GC teams then moved to the front, knowing that a chaotic finish was coming.
On a section of descent, it all went wrong at a right-hand bend. Suddenly, dozens of riders were on the ground — under the barriers and even in the roadside undergrowth. Big names immediately reported as involved include Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Adam Yates finishes stage 2, loses 12 minutes
Adam Yates was also in a bad way, appearing with blood on his face. The Lancashire man was able to finish the stage but lost over 12 minutes in the process. A crushing blow to UAE Team Emirates XRG’s GC hopes, as two of Yates’ teammates had to abandon.
Podium contender Derek Gee-West also lost time, but his losses were limited to one minute.
Jay Vine and Marc Soler abandon the Giro d’Italia
After the crash on stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia, UAE’s Jay Vine has been forced to abandon the race. Vine was reportedly evacuated by ambulance. The Australian, who has crashed so often in his career, is the only rider to receive a DNF. But there a whole host of riders only decided to continue very late, so we will wait to see if more abandons follow after the stage.
UAE’s day got worse and worse as Marc Soler also pulled off the road after Vine abandoned.
