The Giro d'Italia suffered its second major abandonment in two days, although the departure of Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) midway through stage 11 was not much of a shock.
The Dutchman has reportedly been suffering from saddle sores in recent days and climbed off the bike at the feed zone and hopped into the team car.
Dumoulin wore pink for six days at the start of the Giro - winning the opening time trial in front of adoring fans in Apeldoorn, although he temporarily relinquished it to Marcel Kittel after stage three.
Tom Dumoulin's Giant Propel TT bike
A challenging stage four saw Dumoulin finish second and move back into the pink jersey but the 25-year-old capitulated on the stage eight climb of Alpe di Poti en route to Arezzo.
He dropped 2-51 on the day and could only manage 15th place in the following day's time trial. Back in the saddle after the rest day, Dumoulin dropped a further 13 minutes on stage 10 to Sestola and looked disconsolate after the stage as his sores had not cleared up.
Dumoulin's next race will be the Tour of Poland, which starts on July 12, as he builds fitness and form for the Rio Olympic Games.
Thank you for reading 10 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
-
‘You never know in the Tour’ - Romain Bardet fearless as he lines up Tour de France GC bidThe 32-year-old is ready to play the tactical game this July
-
Humble, grounded but not satisfied: Scottish rider Sean Flynn's WorldTour ascension
DSM have signed a rider who they believe can develop into a potential winner of hilly Classics
-
Ex-mountain biker Sean Flynn completes 'dream' move to DSM
The Scotsman has signed a two-year contract with the WorldTour outfit
-
Changing of the guard: Seven top cyclists who have retired in 2022
Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde and Tom Dumoulin have all called time on their careers this year
-
Introducing Oscar Onley, the 19-year-old who almost beat Jonas Vingegaard twice
The DSM rider from Scotland finished third overall at CRO Race, and second on two stages
-
Celebrating the career of Tom Dumoulin: our three favourite moments
The former Giro d’Italia winner announced his immediate retirement earlier this week
-
Tom Dumoulin ends career with immediate effect
Dutch former Giro d’Italia winner brings forward retirement from professional cycling
-
It's official: SD Worx confirms signing of star sprinter Lorena Wiebes
With Wiebes, Kopecky and Vollering in their midst, the Dutch team is shaping up to be an absolute power house in 2023
