UAE Team Emirates XRG took another major hit at the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, as British contender Adam Yates was forced to abandon the race following the massive crash that tore through the peloton late in stage 2.
Yates was among several riders caught out in a slippery downhill corner, including Osgoode. Ont.’s Derek Gee-West. West was able to get back on and catch back onto the lead group, but would ultimately get popped and lose over a minute. Thankfully, however, his injuries were limited. What it means for his Giro GC bid, well, that’s a big ole TBD. But hey, La Corsa Rosa is three weeks long, so there’s that.
Multiple UAE Emirates XRG riders sliding into the guardrail during the chaotic incident. In fact, it appeared that the entire team, save for Mikkel Bjerg, went down.
Although Yates was able to remount and finish the stage, he crossed the line battered, bloodied. He was nearly 14 minutes behind the main contenders, effectively ending his general classification hopes.
Not a great day for UAE
The crash also sent Jay Vine and Marc Soler to hospital, while Jhonatan Narváez and Antonio Morgado also went down. 21 riders crashed in total. Vine and Soler did not finish, leaving UAE with a greatly reduced roster after only two days.
UAE’s medical director Dr. Adrian Rotunno said, “Unfortunately we were badly affected by the crash on stage 2 yesterday. Jay Vine suffered a concussion and an elbow fracture. Marc Soler has a pelvic fracture. At this stage, neither should require surgery.
Rotunno said that Yates suffered heavy abrasions and a laceration to his left ear. “He was initially assessed on site for concussion, and cleared to continue, but subsequently he has shown delayed concussive symptoms. He will not take the start of stage 3 today,” he said. “All three are under observation of our medical staff and will travel home in the coming days to continue their recovery and rehab.”
Stage 3 covers 174 kilometres from Plovdiv to Sofia, with the peloton tackling the Borovec Pass, a 9.3-km climb averaging 5.6 per cent, before a 71-km run to the finish in the Bulgarian capital.
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