Giro d'Italia 2020 - Geraint Thomas quits Giro d’Italia after crash

ByPete Sharland

Updated 06/10/2020 at 16:57 GMT

It was a horrendous Stage 3 for Geraint Thomas after a brutal crash left his GC hopes in pieces. It was so bad that he now has quit the race entirely. The news is a huge blow for Team Ineos Grenadiers who had started the race so strongly and harboured strong aspirations of winning their first Grand Tour of the season.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Geraint Thomas has quit the Giro d’Italia after just three stages following a crash on Monday.

Thomas was caught up in a crash during the neutral section that initially caused some confusion but was later revealed to be as a result of a bidon that he went over.

The crash clearly had a big impact on Thomas, who was dropped by the peloton and saw his GC title aspirations completely fall to pieces.

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Now it has been confirmed that he will not the start the race on Tuesday and will leave instead. A statement from the team confirmed: "Geraint Thomas has been withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia ahead of stage four after further scans revealed a fracture of his pelvis following yesterday’s crash."

• Giro d'Italia 2020 Stage 4 - LIVE
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• 'Heartbreaking... he was a clear favourite' - Wiggins on Thomas blow

Videos show crash which ended Geraint Thomas's Giro dream

Thomas spoke after the news was confirmed:

"It’s so frustrating. I’d put so much work in to this race. I did everything I could and feel like I was in just as good, if not better shape, than when I won the Tour. I was feeling really good. So for it just to end like this is gutting.

"I was really up for starting today. I woke up and wanted to start with the boys and at least help them go for stages over the next few days, but deep down I knew something wasn’t right, so we went to get these extra scans. It does make the decision easier when there’s a fracture in some ways, because obviously I don’t want to do any more damage."

Thomas also tweeted on Tuesday morning saying "2020 you can just do one now, thanks for all your well wishes though guys."

BRADLEY WIGGINS - IT'S HEARTBREAKING

"It’s heart-breaking from the point of view that he looked a clear favourite for this race, it’s the strongest version of him that I’ve seen for a few years." Bradley Wiggins said on The Breakaway after the stage.

"We’re not going to get to see him now for the next couple of weeks, and it just shows you how this thing is on a knife edge and can just flip like that."

Bradley Wiggins - 'The Giro d'Italia is wide open'

Speaking later on his podcast, The Bradley Wiggins Show, Wiggins was asked by Graham Willgoss how Ineos will run the race now in terms of leadership.

“I don’t know, they have to shuffle up now." Wiggins replied.

"I think he’ll [Tao Geoghegan Hart] be disappointed that he’ll have to become team leader now. I think he’ll have been relishing the prospect of doing that for G. Maybe [Jonathan] Castroviejo who knows.”

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