Giro d’Italia stage neutralised after crash forces Hindley to abandon race

Kaden Groves won the sixth signifier of the Giro d’Italia successful a sprint decorativeness connected Thursday, but the signifier was neutralised pursuing a immense clang successful bedewed conditions connected the 227km thrust from Potenza to Naples.

The longest signifier of this year’s Giro had lone a victor to observe arsenic the crash, which occurred with astir 70km to go, forced organisers to marque the determination not to grant points, clip gaps oregon bonuses. Groves crossed the decorativeness enactment a fewer seconds shy of 5 hours connected the road, up of Milan Fretin. Paul Magnier, who had besides crashed earlier successful the stage, finished third.

“It’s a large relief. The squad ever believed successful me. It’s not been a large commencement of the season, but past with the wounded I missed a batch of racing. I arrived present without a win, truthful getting the archetypal 1 for the twelvemonth is simply a large relief,” Groves said. “These bedewed roads are rather slippery: knowing the cobbles starting astir the 2km people was ace important to beryllium successful front.

“But, successful the end, we besides needed to usage immoderate guys aboriginal to chase, adjacent the breakaway, they did a ace ride. Once it started raining, I felt rather a spot amended actually. I’m rather bully successful the colder, wetter conditions.”

Kaden Groves celebrates winning the sixth stage. Photograph: Luca Zennaro/EPA

The peloton was 47 seconds down the pb duo of Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn erstwhile respective riders successful the clump – including the erstwhile Giro winners Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz – crashed connected the slippery road. The contention was neutralised and the peloton slowed down by the contention manager earlier it resumed with thing connected connection isolated from a signifier win.

Hindley, the 2022 Giro winner, sat by the broadside of the roadworthy and the 29-year-old, intelligibly successful pain, was forced to wantonness arsenic helium yet got into an ambulance for treatment.

The battalion rides done the colony of Castelgrande. Photograph: Luca Bettini/AFP/Getty Images

Carapaz, whose jersey had been torn successful the fall, rejoined the peloton portion Josef Cerny had to wantonness the contention arsenic well. Rainer Kepplinger was taken to infirmary with an injured finger, cuts and bruises, portion his teammate Max van der Meulen volition acquisition aesculapian tests.

With teams opting not to instrumentality immoderate risks until the finale, they yet caught up with the pb duo with little than 3 kilometres to spell portion Mads Pedersen, who has won 3 stages, eased up and did not sprint to the finish. However, helium retained the contention lead, with the Danish rider holding a 17-second vantage implicit Primoz Roglic.