Tao Geoghegan Hart leaves Giro d’Italia in ambulance after freak crash, Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic also go down

Updated 17/05/2023 at 15:57 GMT

Former champion Tao Geoghegan Hart is out of the Giro d’Italia after the three key players in the general classification went down in a freak crash. Although Geraint Thomas, in the leader’s pink jersey, and Primoz Roglic swiftly returned to action, Geoghegan Hart was unable to continue and was stretchered into an ambulance. Geoghegan Hart was five seconds adrift of Thomas on GC ahead of the stage.

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Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) left the Giro d’Italia in an ambulance after a freak crash on Stage 11 that also saw team-mate Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) go down.

After the most uneventful of days in the saddle, a splash of rain suddenly sparked chaos in the peloton with 68km remaining as the front three in the general classification slid out on a corner along with Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers).

Thomas and Roglic quickly remounted and re-joined the peloton, but 2020 champion Geoghegan Hart stayed on the tarmac before being stretchered into an ambulance. Sivakov rode wounded to the finish, where he was pictured was numerous battle scars.

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Just five seconds separated Thomas in the maglia rosa from Roglic and Geoghegan Hart ahead of the longest stage to Tortona.

Minutes after the crash that wiped out the key players in the fight for pink, Oscar Rodriguez (Movistar) crashed into a house – grabbing hold of a road sign to avoid a heavier collision. The Spaniard stayed down and later abandoned the race.

Geoghegan Hart is the latest big name to depart the Giro in the past three days after Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) was ruled out with Covid, while Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora–hansgrohe) withdrew on Tuesday through illness.

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