Former Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has abandoned the Giro d’Italia after being involved in a crash on stage 6 that caused the race to be neutralised.
The neutralisation was called at 71km from the finish in Napoli following a mass crash in the peloton, with Hindley among the first to fall. Scores of riders hit the deck on the wet roads of a downhill run through the town of Sperone, coming off the third-category climb of Monteforte Irpino.
2022 Giro champion Hindley slid out on the wet road, hitting the deck hard along with several of his teammates. He could be seen sitting on the pavement by the roadside for some time after the crash, tended to by team staff in the aftermath.
Hindley was later confirmed to have abandoned the race and could be seen being helped into an ambulance.
Another former Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, was also affected, as were several of his EF Education-EasyPost teammates. The Ecuadorian rejoined the peloton bearing the scars of his fall with his jersey ripped to shreds.
Dozens of other riders were caught up in the carnage. Notable names to fall included Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), and Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
The trio, plus many others, could be spotted recovering from falls as the Rai television motorbike picked its way through the affected riders.
Josef Cerny (Soudal-QuickStep) looked to have joined Hindley in being forced out of the race by the crash. He pulled up and climbed into an ambulance but was later seen racing off the rear of the peloton with a bandaged knee and bloody sock.
Juri Hollmann (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Dion Smith (Intermarché-Wanty) were later confirmed to have abandoned the race, with a broken arm feared for Hollmann, according to his team.
The peloton continued rolling behind the lead car of race organisers RCS Sport as fallen riders rejoined at the back of the group in the kilometres following the crash. The race was called to a halt at kilometre 167.5 (61.5km to go) to allow all riders to return to the peloton.
Hindley’s teammate and 2023 Giro champion Primož Roglič could be seen in discussion with Giro organisers, including Mauro Vegni, during the stoppage.
After a short break, racing resumed at kilometre 166.5 (60.5km to go), with the two breakaway riders, Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) resuming with a 55-second lead over the peloton.
Giro organisers later announced that the Red Bull Kilometre, held at 47.6km to go, would be neutralised with no points or bonus seconds on offer. There would be no points or bonus seconds taken at the finish either, with classifications set at the moment of the crash, and no time limits.
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