Giro d’Italia 2020: Rider left with head injury, broken nasal bones and wounds to his face after barriers blown onto course 

A race helicopter reportedly flew too low and sent the race barriers into the path of the riders

A Giro d’Italia rider has been left with awful facial injuries after a helicopter blew barriers onto the course on stage four.

Luca Wackermann and his Vini Zabú-KTM team-mate Etienne van Empel were both taken out inside the final kilometre of the stage to Villafranca Tirrena when a race helicopter reportedly got too close to the riders. 

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

Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.