Miguel Ángel López abandons Giro d'Italia

Miguel Ángel López is no stranger to bad luck, but in the blink of an eye he has just dropped out of another Grand Tour under unusual circumstances. The Astana Qazaqstan Team leader was a favourite for both the general classification and the stage win, but has dropped out early in the day with pain in his left hip.

The team will later give out an official announcement, but this comes as a huge blow to both the Colombian and the team who are left without their leader - with Vincenzo Nibali having to step up to take responsability for the team's overall ambitions.