"I have no words" - Giulio Ciccone withdraws from the Giro d'Italia after his crash

A pity. Giulio Ciccone was very excited this morning before taking the start of the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia. However, he was the most affected by the mass crash that affected the peloton with 23 kilometers from the finish line. Through the pain, the Italian rider forced his way to the finish line, but his future in the race was already hanging on a thread.

Ciccone was taken to a local hospital for further checks, where X-rays confirmed a major haematoma on the vastus lateralis muscle on his right quadricep as well as a small muscle fascia injury. The outcome won't surprise anyone - it's not possible to continue the race in such state. His team Lidl-Trek confirmed this in a press communication.

This is what the rider, who was seventh overall and in the contention to stand on the final podium in Rome, had to say:

"I have no words. I tried to fight to finish the stage because I was hoping that the hospital checks would show that it was not so bad and I could recover and fight for a stage, but I understood straight away that it was something important because the pain was too much, and now we know why. It hurts to leave the giro like this, especially with the climbs still to come and the great feeling in the team, as well as leaving the good position I had in the GC. Now I need time to recover and we will see for the rest of the season."