Matej Mohorič has abandoned the Giro d’Italia 2021 after a huge crash on a descent on stage nine.
The Bahrain Victorious was right at the front of a big leading group, as the battle to form a breakaway continued after 40km of racing on the road to Campo Felice.
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On the long descent from the Passo Godi, Mohorič was riding in second wheel behind his team-mate Gino Mäder when his back wheel lost grip on a left-hand turn.
Mohorič’s wheel then re-gripped on the tarmac, but the 26-year-old was sent careening into the inside curb, flipping him over the handlebars and sending him to his head.
After getting back to his feet and considering getting back on his spare bike, Mohorič abandoned the race and was stretchered to an ambulance.
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TV images showed his wrecked bike lying on the floor after the fall, as his forks appear to have snapped as he hit the curb.
Bahrain Victorious have not yet provided an update on their rider.
The team have suffered a mixed Giro d'Italia so far, after their sole general classification leader Mikel Landa abandoned the race on stage five after he went down in a high speed crash on stage five.
Landa was caught in a nasty incident as a number of riders hit a traffic island, during the fast run in to Cattolica for the sprint finish, eventually won by Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal).
The following day, the Bahraini team hit back as their man Gino Mäder took a highly anticipated Grand Tour stage victory, winning from a breakaway on the first mountain finish of the race, and narrowly holding off the GC favourites led by Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).
After the loss of Landa and Mohoric, Bahrain Victorious are now down to six riders, including Mäder, Pello Bilbao, and Damiano Caruso.
