Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) was a popular figure at the start. (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) abandoned the Vuelta after 26 kilometers of racing on stage 14 from Astorga to La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo. The Italian cited overall fatigue for his failure to compete in the race.
"I could not recover energies: it wasn't possible to go on, even if leaving Vuelta it's a pain for me. I was at the Vuelta a Espana in order to try to add, to a long season, a second grand tour; I knew it would have been a difficult thing, but good health was necessary and now I have not it. I'll try to evaluate with the team medical staff the causes of this problem and then I'll program the last races with the final in Giro di Lombardia,"
In truth, though, Scarponi had struggled during this year’s race and was never in contention for a podium place once the race hit the mountains.
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
