Fabio Aru sheds light on the crash on a high speed descent that has put him out of the Giro d'Italia

Astana's Fabio Aru has explained the sequence of events that led to him sustaining the knee injury that will mean he won't compete in the Giro d'Italia.

Aru crashed nine days ago while training in Tenerife as part of a block of altitude training, hitting the deck on a high speed descent after a blowout to one of his inner tubes.

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"I fell at 45kph on the descent of the Alto de Monachil. If it happened a few seconds earlier, when we were going at 70kph, I don't know whether I’d be here to talk about it," Aru told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"When [Aru's coach] Maurizio Mazzoleni got out to come to my aid, he thought I’d fractured my pelvis. But I only have some scratches, and nothing on the hands."

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The Italian rider did not sustain any fractures in the crash, but will sit out the Giro d'Italia, which will start on his home island of Sardinia on May 5, with the pain in his knee continuing to impair his training.

"The cartilage of the knee is inflamed and compressed. I fell heavily and the cartilage absorbed the impact,” Aru explained.

"That impedes movement. When I’m still, the pain is normal, but just bending the knee is like having a screwdriver twist into your flesh. I’m not able to pedal and I haven’t trained in nine days."

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Aru, who had been one of the favourite for the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia, will also miss the upcoming Giro del Trentino and Tour de Romandie, with doctors recommending that he spends at least another 10 days off the bike.

With his next doctors appointment on April 20, Astana have not yet put a date on the return of their star rider, but will be surely be hoping that he will be fit enough to take to the start line of the Tour de France on July 1, a race that he been expected to miss due to his planned Giro participation.