Australia's top sprint hope for a stage win at the Giro d'Italia, Kaden Groves, has been forced to quit the race on the fourth stage due to injuries sustained on day one. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider was involved in a mass crash 600 meters from the finish line during the opening stage in Bulgaria on Friday.
Crash Details and Initial Response
The 10-time Grand Tour stage winner was bloodied and limping after the incident, but initially seemed "OK" according to his team. However, Groves continued to suffer from the aftermath of the crash and was unable to recover sufficiently to continue the Giro. He described his injuries as "a few superficial scrapes all over my body," but it became clear he had shoulder and neck bruising.
Withdrawal from the Race
Groves ducked out of contesting the sprint at the end of stage three and took a day off the bike on Monday's rest day, but the pain did not ease. Ahead of Tuesday's stage from Catanzaro to Consenza, he said, "I didn't ride yesterday. I hope after a complete day off the sensations have improved. I'll take it day by day and see how things are on the climb. I don't need to risk anything." However, early into the 138-kilometer ride through Calabria, news came that the 27-year-old had withdrawn.
Impact on Australian Cycling
Groves' exit is a blow to Australian sprint hopes. He was poised to overhaul Caleb Ewan's 11 Grand Tour stage wins and move second on the Australian all-time winners' list behind Robbie McEwan (24). In the absence of big-name duo Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, the Belgian team had anointed Groves, who wore number one in the race, as their main sprinter. Now Francesco Busato will take over as Alpecin's main sprinter, with possible openings for 25-year-old Australian Jensen Plowright.
Other Australian Contenders
The peloton still contains two Australian general classification contenders: Red Bull-BORA hansgrohe's co-leader Jai Hindley and Jayco AlUla's Ben O'Connor. Hindley was irked when squeezed out at a bonus sprint but, like O'Connor, sits 10 seconds behind new race leader Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek, along with pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease-A-Bike).
Stage Four Winner and Upcoming Challenges
Ecuador's Jhonatan Narvaez won stage four, a welcome lift for Vine's UAE Team Emirates XRG. Orluis Aular (Movistar) was second and Ciccone third. Wednesday's fifth stage features nearly 4,000 meters of climbing on the 203-kilometer route from Praia a Mare to Potenza, a route that could further shake up the standings.
