WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGES A horror crash at the Giro d’Italia left a British icon covered in blood while his team-mate was rushed to hospital after leaving the race
The second stage of the Giro d’Italia was overshadowed by a horror crash that saw Jay Vine taken to hospital.
The peloton was racing between Burgas and Veliko Tarnovom during the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria – before the race moves back to Italy after Monday’s rest day. And the slick roads produced a horror crash in the final 30kms.
The race was all back together heading into the day’s final climb – Lyaskovets Monastery Pass – when sweeping left handed saw a rider from UAE Team Emirates-XRG lose grip and hit the deck hard, causing other riders to go down.
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Giro organisers called a neutralisation as riders picked themsleves up off the floor – among those who crashed was Adam Yates, who was left bloodied after suffering a cut behind his ear.
However, his team-mate Vine looked to be in worse shape and he was filmed abandoning the race on a stretcher as he was taken to hospital.
Adne Holter and Marc Soler also left the race following the crash. Yates, who has podium the Tour de France, went into the race as UAE’s leader but finished the day 13 minutes behind the winner, XDS Astana’s Guillermo Thomas Silva.
Silva had been part of a group that returned to the front of the race during the final rise to the line. And the young Uruguayan used his kick to win the reduced spring and take the Maglia Rosa heading into the final Bulgarian stage on Sunday.
Images of the crash went viral on social media: “Adam Yates, Gee, Buitrago down and badly hurt. UAE almost wiped out, Morgado also involved. Total disaster…”
“Nasty crash. Not surprised they’ve neutralised the race. Hope the injured riders recover well,” a second said.
While a third shared: “Jay Vine on the way to ambulance, heartbreaking scenes. I don’t even want to remember how many times he crashed so far in his career.”
And another added: “Cycling is so brutal…”