Source : ABC NEWS
Australian sprinter Kaden Groves has triumphed on the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia, on a dramatic day when the race was neutralised following a huge crash in wet conditions on the 227 kilometre ride from Potenza to Naples.
The longest stage of this year’s Giro had only a winner to celebrate as the crash that occurred with about 70km to go forced organisers to make the decision not to award points, time gaps or bonuses.
Groves (Alpecin–Deceuninck) crossed the finish line a few seconds shy of 5 hours on the road, ahead of Cofidis rider Milan Fretin. Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step, who had also crashed earlier in the stage, finished third.
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“It’s a big relief. The team always believed in me,” Groves said.
“It’s not been a great start of the season, but then with the injury I missed a lot of racing. I arrived here without a win, so getting the first one for the year is a big relief.
“These wet roads are quite slippery. Knowing the cobbles [were] starting around the 2km mark, [it] was super important to be in front.
“But in the end, we also needed to use some guys early to chase, close the breakaway. They did a super ride.
“Once it started raining, I felt quite a bit better actually. I’m quite good in the colder, wetter conditions.”
The peloton was 47 seconds behind the lead duo of Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn when several riders in the bunch, including former Giro winners Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz, crashed on the slippery road.
The race was neutralised and the peloton slowed down by the race director before it resumed with nothing on offer apart from a stage win.
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Australian Hindley, the 2022 Giro winner, sat by the side of the road, and the 29-year-old, clearly in pain, was forced to abandon as he eventually got into an ambulance for treatment.
Hindley’s team confirmed that he had suffered a concussion and would stay in hospital overnight for observation.
“Of course it’s a big blow to lose Jai, because he was in great form,” team director Christian Pömer told Velon.
“Beyond that, we’re missing a personality who’s always ready to help others. It’s not just a loss on the bike but also on the team bus. Jai is our DJ and someone who’s won the Giro and stood on the podium.”
“What this means for our tactics is something we’ll see in the coming days … We might have to lean a bit more on the other teams now than we originally planned.
“Jai was meant to support Primož [Roglič] as best as possible in the third week, so we’ll need to adjust our strategy and rely more on other teams instead of controlling the race ourselves.”
Carapaz, whose jersey had been torn in the fall, rejoined the peloton, while Soudal Quick-Step’s Josef Cerny had to abandon the race as well.
Bahrain Victorious’ Rainer Kepplinger was taken to hospital with an injured finger, cuts and bruises, while his teammate Max van der Meulen underwent medical tests.
With teams opting not to take any risks until the finale, they eventually caught up with the lead duo with less than 3 kilometres to go while Mads Pedersen, who has won three stages, eased up and did not sprint to the finish.
However, he retained the race lead, with the Danish rider holding a 17-second advantage over Primoz Roglic.
Reuters
