‘I’d put so much work in to this race’: Geraint Thomas says pelvis fracture makes decision to pull out of Giro d’Italia easier
The Ineos Grenadiers leader fell heavily at the start of stage three
Geraint Thomas said discovering his pelvis fracture made the decision to pull out of the Giro d’Italia easier.
The Ineos Grenadiers leader crashed in the neutral section at the start of stage three when he was taken out by a stray bidon.
Thomas was able to finish the stage to Mount Etna, but the crash had clearly taken its toll as he reached the summit 12 minutes down on his rivals.
Scans after the stage revealed Thomas had suffered a fractured pelvis and his team announced before the start of stage four that he had abandoned the race.
Thomas said: “It’s so frustrating. I’d put so much work in to this race. I did everything I could and feel like I was in just as good, if not better shape, than when I won the Tour. I was feeling really good. So for it just to end like this is gutting.”
He added: “I was really up for starting today. I woke up and wanted to start with the boys and at least help them go for stages over the next few days, but deep down I knew something wasn’t right, so we went to get these extra scans.
“It does make the decision easier when there’s a fracture in some ways, because obviously I don’t want to do anymore damage.”
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Thomas had been in great form leading up to the Giro, finishing second in Tirreno-Adriatico just weeks before.
The 34-year-old put in a strong performance on the Giro's opening time trial stage and was sitting third as the race hit the first mountain, Mount Etna, on stage three.
>>> Fan videos show Geraint Thomas’s nasty crash at Giro d’Italia
Ineos Grenadiers team doctor Phil Riley said: “Geraint had an MRI and a CT scan this morning which revealed a small undisplaced fracture in the lower part of the pelvis which wasn’t picked up on the X-rays yesterday. As a precaution he will be withdrawn from the race as it's an injury that could easily be aggravated.”
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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.
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