Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) opted not to start stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia due to his injuries he suffered in the high-speed crash during Wednesday’s stage to Sega di Ala.
The Italian was hit from behind on the descent to the foot of the final climb. He got going and caught the peloton only to be dropped on the climb to the finish. Vincenzo Nibali and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier were also involved in the same crash and struggled to make it to the finish.
Trek-Segafredo later announced that Ciccone had "suffered a heavy contusion to the lumbar area of his back and left hand."
On Thursday morning the team had initially announced that all three riders would start stage 18 from Rovereto to Stradella but after riding briefly and signing on, Ciccone opted not to continue.
"Unfortunately the rider will not be at the start of the stage. Despite a troubled night, with a slight fever, Ciccone signed on at the signature podium. But after a further evaluation of the team doctor just before the start, considering the general state of strong debilitation, the team decided to stop him to safeguard his health and safety in the race."
Ciccone was sixth overall at 4:31 before his crash but lost eight minutes and slipped to tenth place, 11:26 down on race leader Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).
Nibali struggled to hold his handlebars on the climb to the finish with his right arm, the same side where he broke his wrist three weeks before the Giro d'Italia. X-rays showed no fractures and Nibali was determined to stay in the Giro.
