Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan won a crash-marred fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday (NZT) and Alessandro De Marchi kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey.
Ewan’s victory in a sprint finish was overshadowed by several crashes in the final 15 kilometres. The most serious involved one of the favourites, Mikel Landa, who was taken away in an ambulance.
“He was in pain, we’re not sure if he has fractured his collarbone or his wrist,” Team Bahrain Victorious sporting director Franco Pellizotti said. “We’re disappointed but our Giro continues.”
The incident occurred after American cyclist Joseph Dombrowski hit a race marshal signalling an obstacle in the middle of the road, causing a crash.
Dombrowski, who had been second overall after winning the previous stage, was able to continue but finished more than eight minutes behind Ewan. The consequences were more serious for Landa, who received swift treatment before being taken to hospital.
Pavel Sivakov’s hopes of overall victory are also in tatters after he was involved in another crash. The Ineos Grenadiers rider managed to get up and change bicycles but had no chance of catching the high-speed peloton.
Ewan was also involved in a late tangle with Tim Merlier but managed to stay upright and edge ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo in the final 50 metres of the flat and straight 177-kilometre route from Modena to Cattolica on the Adriatic coast.
