Andre Greipel and Michael Matthews withdraw from Giro d'Italia
Stage winners Andre Greipel and Michael Matthew among the non-starters for Saturday's Giro d'Italia time trial stage
Giro d'Italia 2015 stage winners Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soundal) and Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) are both non-starters for Saturday's crucial stage 14 time trial.
Greipel and Matthews are among several riders to have withdrawn ahead of the long 59.4-kilometre individual test against the clock on Saturday. Greipel's team-mate Greg Henderson is also a non-starter with a hard final week in the mountains looming after the time trial.
German champion Greipel won the bunch sprint finish on stage six to Castiglione della Pescaia. He had been hoping for more success in the sprints, but bad weather, bad positioning and crashes held him up.
"The day after the team time trial I had a first chance, but on the uphill finish I started too soon and I got beaten," said Greipel. "Last Tuesday there was a new opportunity, but the escapees stayed ahead and yesterday [Friday] the chaos in the finale was so big that I didn’t get to the front in time to do a good sprint.
"I’m happy we won one stage, but I had hoped for one more."
Greipel is now scheduled to take part in the ZLM Toer with the hope of being selected to ride in the Tour de France in July, where he will face British sprinter Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep), German Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin), on-form Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and last year's green jersey winner, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo).
Matthews won stage three whilst in the overall race lead after his Orica-GreenEdge squad had clinched the opening team time trial.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
>>> Fabio Aru will be the biggest loser in Giro's time trial, say rival team bosses
Saturday's time trial stage is set to lead to a major shake-up in the general classification, which was unexpectedly changed after yesterday's pan-flat stage. Fabio Aru (Astana) took the race lead from Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) after Contador was caught up in a crash just outside three kilometres to go.
Team Sky leader Richie Porte was another caught up in the incident, which all but finished his hopes of a high placing in the general classification as he slips to 17th overall, five minutes and five second down on Aru.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
We rode and reviewed the Ouray, Parlee Cycles' first new bike model since facing bankruptcy
The storied American brand continues with a Portugal-made carbon steed that goes zoom but doesn’t fit like a race bike
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tadej Pogačar misses out on GP Québec win on return to WorldTour action
Slovenian finishes seventh in first race back since third Tour de France victory
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'This one's for my grandma': Michael Matthews rounds off emotional week with third GP Québec victory
Australian’s grandmother passed away the week before he travelled to Canada
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Five things we learned from the second week of the Tour de France 2022
Sprinters take matters into their own hands in the week two of the race
By Stephen Puddicombe Published
-
Michael Matthews gambles and surprises by climbing to first Tour de France stage win in five years
BikeExchange-Jayco rider attacks from break and triumphs on steep finish up to Mende
By Adam Becket Published
-
Van Vleuten confirms her third Giro Donne victory
The Dutch rider finishes safely in the bunch while Chiara Consonni takes the final stage
By Owen Rogers Published
-
Simon Yates misses out on Tour de France selection
Team BikeExchange-Jayco opt for sprint focussed line-up focused on Dylan Groenewegen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
André Greipel: WorldTour relegation system 'totally bulls**t'
The former pro cyclist talks UCI points, watching cycling as a fan, and the lack of sprint opportunities at the Tour de France
By Adam Becket Published
-
Michael Matthews storms to victory on opening stage of Volta a Catalunya
Australian wins for a second time in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, outsprinting Sonny Colbrelli
By Adam Becket Last updated