Evenepoel, Ciccone, Nibali go down in crash at Giro d'Italia
Several riders hit the deck on the descent of the Passo di San Valentino on stage 17
Several major names have been involved in a crash on the descent of the Passo di San Valentino with 25km to go on stage 17 at the Giro d'Italia.
Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) were among the main victims of the accident, which came as the peloton was speeding down the technical descent 28 kilometres from the finish of the stage.
The duo, as well as a number of other riders, hit the deck while tackling a tight corner on the descent just past the town of Brentonico in Trentino, with Evenepoel taking a painful collision with metal guard rail before continuing with a bandaged left wrist. He finished the stage grimacing in pain, 35 minutes down on winner Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation), his left elbow visibly swollen.
Team BikeExchange duo of Nick Schultz and Mikel Nieve also hit the deck, while the Trek-Segafredo trio of Ciccone, Vincenzo Nibali and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier were also involved, as was Eolo-Kometa rider Mark Christian.
Ciccone – who lay sixth overall at 4:31 – had just made it back through the team cars and was close to catching the peloton with 16 kilometres to run but stopped to change his bike. The efforts cost him, and the Italian lost 6:35, dropping to 10th in the general classification. Trek-Segafredo later announced he had "suffered a heavy contusion to the lumbar area of his back and left hand".
Nibali underwent examinations on his right arm - the same side where he broke his wrist three weeks before the Giro d'Italia. Trek-Segafredo said that X-rays showed no fractures in his right humerus.
"Given the extent of the contusions and consequences of the crash, the three riders will be monitored in the coming hours and, tomorrow morning, will be made a further assessment by the team doctor," Trek-Segafredo's statement read.
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix – 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.