Alessandro Covi reacts on a stage 11 crash : "I'm sorry about what happened to Tao Geoghegan Hart"

Alessandro Covi was the first rider to crash in a descent at high speed. The consequences were major with Tao Geoghegan Hart - number three in the standings at the time - having to leave the race with serious injuries. Afterwards, Covi reacted to the crash.

"Suddenly I was on the ground," Covi tells Cycling Pro Net. "Things like this happen in cycling. I'm sorry about what happened to Geoghegan Hart, who was here to ride a GC. I hope he recovers well for the second part of the season." The Italian was the first rider to hit the deck on a crash that caught out the entire podium of the Giro d'Italia, but remained relatively unscathed. However, Hart was forced to abandon the race with a fractured hip.

"I myself hope to recover well for the next few days, in which I want to help João Almeida. I don't feel well now, it was a really hard fall. I'm glad I was able to finish, and now we have to wait and see how it will go tomorrow," said Covi.

In the end it was a great day for UAE Team Emirates with Pascal Ackermann winning the sprint. "We knew he was in good shape. Today he struck. We hope that he can take a second victory later on," the Italian concluded.