Vertebrae fracture prematurely ends the Giro d'Italia of Mikel Landa

Mostly calm day for GC riders on the outskirts of Tirana quickly turned into a chaos when peloton ascended the Surrel climb for a second time. And more precisely in the subsequent descent.

In a dangerous chicane with about five kilometers to go, many riders had to hit their brakes hard to stay on two wheels, but Mikel Landa was among the less lucky. As the Basque rider fought the laws of physics applied to his bicycle, he hit a curb and tumbled over onto a driveway several feet lower. When the Soudal - Quick-Step rider didn't immediately get up on his own, it was clear his continuation in the race was out of question.

First responders put the concious rider in a neckbrace and quickly transported Landa to hospital to decide the extension of damage suffered. His team informs of the results in a brief press release:

"Mikel was immediately taken to the hospital, where examinations and a CT scan revealed that Mikel had suffered a stable fracture of the Th 11 vertebra. This will require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time. He will remain at the hospital overnight, before further assessment and a plan for this return home will be made."

Landa wasn't the only rider to hit the ground on that curve, with several other riders unable to evade his lying bicycle on a narrow road, but all were able to get back up and arrive safely to the finish. The calamity arrived with a chasing group that emerged about a minute later.

As everyone rushed to figure out the condition of Landa, the road got blocked, making it impossible for another group of riders to evade the danger, with Geoffrey Bouchard (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) also taking a tumble. The Frenchman subsequently abandoned the race as well with further unspecified injury.