Mikel Landa crashes out of Giro d'Italia on opening stage, breaks back

Mikel Landa saw his hopes at the Giro d'Italia 2025 disappear on the opening day, as the Basque rider crashed out on the descent from the final climb of the day. It was later revealed that he had fractured a vertebra.

With around 5km to go, the Soudal Quick-Step rider appeared to crash off the edge of the road, and was seen on television being attended to by medics, and later being put on a stretcher. Also involved in the crash were Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), but he was able to remount and continue the race. As Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was celebrating victory, Landa was on his way to hospital.

A Soudal Quick-Step statement read: "Mikel was immediately taken to the hospital, where examinations and a CT scan revealed that Mikel had suffered a stable fracture of the Th 11 vertebra. This will require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time.

"He will remain at the hospital overnight, before further assessment and a plan for this return home will be made.

"Everybody at Soudal Quick-Step and the Wolfpack wishes Mikel a speedy recovery."

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's Geoffrey Bouchard also crashed on the same corner, with his team later stating that the Frenchman had been forced to abandon.

His team said on Saturday morning: "Medical examinations revealed a fracture of the right collarbone as well as fractures of the transverse processes of the first three lumbar vertebrae."

Landa had come into the Giro aiming for a solid tilt at general classification, having finished in the top 10 of 10 other Grand Tours; he has finished on the podium at the Italian Grand Tour twice before as well.

His season so far had been solid, with a seventh place finish at Tirreno-Adriatico being followed by fourth at the Volta a Catalunya in March. The Tour de France is understood to be on his schedule, riding in support of Remco Evenepoel so there could now be a race against time to be fit for the French Grand Tour in July.

Landa was the only notable GC rider to abandon the race on stage one, but he was not alone in having a difficult day. Both Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) lost time after they slipped out of the back of the lead group on the final ascent of Surrel.

This article will be updated when more is known on the riders' conditions.