"It is true what Remco says" - Kaden Groves admits fault over Giro d'Italia crash on stage 2

Kaden Groves was involved in the crash on stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia when he bumped shoulders with Davide Ballerini, eventually leading to the movement in the peloton that caused several riders to go down. Remco Evenepoel saw this happen in front of him, and the Australian now confirms he was partly to blame for the incident.

“It is true what Remco says: I did indeed push Ballerini with my elbow. I felt like he was boxing me in against the barrier on the left. In a defensive move, I pushed back," Groves admitted in an interview with Eurosport. "He then touched Josef Cerny's wheel and lost his balance. A chain reaction caused a crash at the rear. It is a pity. This happens in sports. In the end, everyone believes what they want to believe. The images are also not clear, they are blurry images from above. But this is how I saw it. As I said, I hope everyone is okay and can start today.”

Helicopter footage from the crash shows how the road narrowed and that led to a small bump between the two riders. It was a race incident which did not look purposeful, but eventually the swerving it caused led to major consequences. Groves sprinted to third on the day after a strong leadout from Alpecin-Deceuninck. He now focuses on stage 3, which has a hilly profile but could see him as an outsider.

"It's always interesting. We are in a Grand Tour, so the climbers can do something in today's stage. But I see it as an opportunity. With a strong team around, I hope to survive. This is the first test, yesterday was the first race in a long time. We'll see, but I should be in good shape," he concluded.