Giro d'Italia chaos with riders in huge crash as protestors sabotage race
The Giro d'Italia screeched to a halt on Thursday following a 20-rider pile-up crash just 44 miles from the finish line. The annual race, which is the first of the year's three Grand Tours, is a prestigious event primarily held in Italy but also passing through neighbouring countries.
It had begun in Potenza and was bound for the finish line in Naples, but a disastrous crash curtailed the excitement towards the conclusion. The incident saw slippery surfaces causing many racers, including former champion Jai Hindley, to end up in a heap in the middle of the road.
Hindley's race was confirmed to be over after medical exams revealed he had suffered a concussion and would remain in the hospital overnight for observation. In addition to the 2022 victor's exit from the event, leader Mads Pedersen also went down, and other riders, including Richard Carapaz, Derek Gee, and Adam Yates, were caught up in the commotion.
They were deemed okay to continue, but Dion Smith of Intermarche-Wanty and Juri Hollmann of Alpecin-Deceuninck joined Hindley in abandoning the race. Hindley's accident is a major blow for his Red Bull team, as pre-race favourite and team-mate Primoz Roglic could now be without an experienced climber alongside him.
Red Bull director Patxi Vila told TNT Sports that the crash was a "big loss" for the team, and highlighted Hindley's importance to his squad. Vila said: "Definitely not what we expected today, it's a big loss for us to lose Jai.
"He knows how to win this race and was a very important man for us in the three weeks. I think it's nothing to be worried about, he was a bit dizzy so that's why race doctors said to put him in the ambulance. Nothing broken."
However, this rain-affected crash wasn't the only drama on the race track on Thursday. A pair of protestors also derailed the two front-runners just a few miles from the finish.
Taco van der Hoorn of Intermarche-Wanty and Enzo Paleni of Groupama–FDJ were leading towards the end of the Stage Six phase, when they were forced to swerve and brake to avoid people on the road.
With less than two miles to go in Naples, one person in a yellow coat ran on the road holding a length of tape, which was attached to a fellow protestor on the other side. Footage shown by TNT Sports also captured the protestor throwing a long cable onto the tarmac.
Van der Hoorn slammed on his brakes, and Paleni was forced to swerve behind him to avoid a crash. The tape got caught on the Dutchman's neck as he came to an almost complete stop, ending his hopes of a victory.
The same protestor emerged moments later as the rest of the riders arrived, waving a white banner in front of the peloton. A crash was narrowly avoided, and Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck ultimately won.
Van der Hoorn was disappointed by the race's ending. He told TNT Sports: "In the end it was close. But at 2.5km, there were protestors on the road and they blocked me completely.
"They were standing with a line in front of me and I had to brake until zero. Then it was over completely because we had to relaunch. I don't know if we would have made it, I don't think so, but it was sad."
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