"This is a major setback" - Damiano Caruso out of GC contention at Giro d'Italia after crashing on Tuscan gravel

Bahrain - Victorious came into the 2024 Giro d'Italia with a two-pronged GC attack in the form of Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso. After Tiberi suffered a blow with an ill-timed mechanical earlier in the race, Caruso is now fully out of GC contention.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult and complicated day, due to the wind and the type of roads we were racing on,” Bahrain Victorious sports director Gorazd Stangelj explained post-stage to Bahrain - Victorious' official social media pages. “We were very unhappy for the last gravel sector. Our riders were moving up in the peloton, but at one point they got a bit crushed."

As a result of this Caruso was brought down and eventually crossed the line over fifteen minutes down. With Tiberi also over two minutes down already, the general classification is at risk of falling apart for Bahrain - Victorious before the first rest day.

"Damiano fell. We have lost a candidate for the rankings. We keep looking at Antonio. But it goes without saying that this is a major setback,” Stangelj admits. “Whether Damiano is completely okay, it's too early to say. He has lost a lot of skin, is injured and is going to have a few difficult days ahead. His dream of ranking is completely gone. He now needs to reset for a few days, because mentally this is also a blow. Then we want to come back with new goals for him.”