Giro d’Italia crash toll rises again as Andrea Vendrame abandons with three lower back fractures

The toll from the brutal Stage 2 crash at the 2026 Giro d’Italia has risen again, with Andrea Vendrame forced out of the race after suffering three lower back fractures.

Team Jayco AlUla confirmed after the stage that the Italian will not start Stage 3, adding another name to a growing casualty list from the mass crash on wet roads in Bulgaria. Vendrame went down heavily in the final 30km of the stage to Veliko Tarnovo, where the peloton had already been racing on slippery roads before disaster struck. The team confirmed Vendrame suffered fractures to three transverse processes in his lower back. He will return to Italy for further examinations and to begin his recovery.

Vendrame’s withdrawal removes one of the race’s proven Giro stage hunters before the race has even reached Italy. The 31-year-old has twice won stages at his home Grand Tour, first in 2021 and again in 2024, when he claimed Stage 19 from the breakaway. He also finished second on a Giro stage in 2019, underlining his long record of targeting opportunities in the Corsa Rosa.

That made his Stage 2 abandon a significant blow for Jayco AlUla. Vendrame was never a general classification threat, but he was one of the team’s most dangerous options for breakaway days, reduced sprints and awkward medium mountain stages across the three weeks. Instead, his Giro has ended before the first rest day.

Vendrame is the latest rider forced out by the Stage 2 crash, which has already reshaped the opening weekend of the race. The incident came with around 23km remaining, before the final climb to the Lyaskovets Monastery. A large group of riders went down on wet roads, with the race temporarily neutralised while medical vehicles dealt with the fallen riders.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG were hit particularly hard. Jay Vine and Marc Soler were both taken to hospital, while Adam Yates later abandoned after finishing the stage bloodied and more than 12 minutes down. Santiago Buitrago was also forced out and taken to hospital for further examinations.

Guillermo Thomas Silva eventually won the stage and moved into the Maglia Rosa, but the result was only one part of a chaotic day. For Vendrame and Jayco AlUla, Stage 2 became another example of how quickly this Giro has already started taking riders out of contention.