Juan Ayuso abandons Giro d’Italia after being stung by bee on face

Juan Ayuso abandoned the Giro d’Italia on Thursday after being stung by a bee during the previous day's stage to Bormio.

Before he started stage 18, Ayuso explained to the TNT Sports cameras that a bee entered his helmet on Wednesday. The Spaniard was left with a badly swollen right eye; he was already suffering with a knee injury sustained earlier in the race.

Ayuso said: "It's been a really hard couple of days. I can't see out of my right eye. It is what it is. The team doctor said it was best for me not to start but I really want to try and give my best for the team.

"Yesterday I was no use at all because I was feeling really bad, but I hope I can recover for the next few days. I'll try and get past today but I’m not really convinced that I can. I just want to try and do the first few kilometres, I’ll then see if it’s safe for me to be in the bunch and then decide."

The 22-year-old came into the race as one of the hot favourites for overall victory in Rome. He won stage seven, a summit finish to Tagliacozzo, before dropping out of contention due to the knee problem he then picked up. Ayuso’s UAE teammate, Isaac del Toro, currently leads the race and took the stage win in Bormio on Wednesday to extend his lead in the pink jersey.

"I was the first one yesterday that wanted to be at the front to try and help our guys on the Mortirolo,” Ayuso added as he reflected on a difficult day in the high mountains. “But I was one of the first to drop into the grupetto and I really suffered at the back.

"Something right now is not quite right, but I’m still here trying to help the team, that’s why I’ve not left, but now with the bee and everything, it’s all going against me but I’m just trying to focus on myself and really give my best for the team."

Shortly after the stage began, Ayuso fell to the back of the peloton alongside one of the UAE Emirates-XRG team vehicles. He rode on for a few kilometres before climbing off his bike and into a team car.