Australian sprinter Kaden Groves has finally succumbed to his injuries, withdrawing from the 2026 Giro d’Italia 40km into the fourth stage.
Groves was among the riders to come down heavily in a high-speed crash on day one, suffering multiple abrasions after hitting the concrete at speeds of about 70km/h.
“Unfortunately, Kaden Groves has abandoned the Giro d’Italia during today’s stage,” the Aussies’ Alpecin-Premier Tech team said in a statement.
“The Australian rider is still suffering from the aftermath of his crash during the opening stage of the race and was unable to recover sufficiently to continue the Giro.”
Kaden Groves suffered horrible burns and abrasions in the crash. (Supplied: Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Groves told Cycling Pro Net ahead of the 138km stage from Catanzaro to Cosenza that he was hopeful of continuing the race ahead of the stage getting underway.
“I didn’t ride the bike at all yesterday, I took a complete day off, so hopefully the sensations have improved,” he said.
Groves is the 10th rider in this year’s field to abandon the race and second Australian after Jay Vine.
Lotto Intermarché’s Belgian hope Arnaud De Lie also withdrew on Tuesday having suffered from a bad case of gastroenteritis over the past week.
The entire Belgian squad was hit by the illness pre-race, with directeur sportif Maxime Bouet blaming manure spread on the road at last Sunday’s Famenne Ardenne Classic.
“I felt OK until during the flight to Bulgaria, when I felt myself getting worse and worse,” De Lie told Belgian paper Nieuwsblad.
“I don’t think I have ever felt this bad.”
Jhonatan Narváez claims stage win
Jhonatan Narváez has not raced since the Tour Down Under. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)
Following a horrific start in Bulgaria for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narváez provided some much-needed relief once the race returned to Italian soil, claiming a powerful stage win into Cosenza.
The peloton’s number one ranked team was hit hard by the stage two crash that eliminated Australian Jay Vine (broken arm, concussion), as well as general classification hopes Adam Yates (concussion) and Marc Soler (fractured pelvis).
Narváez had previously won Giro stages in 2020 and 2024 but had not raced since crashing out of the Tour Down Under in January, but showed incredible pace to edge Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek) in the finish.
“This victory is absolutely huge for me,” Narváez said at the finish.
“After my crash in Australia in January, I spent three months training in Ecuador, I want to thank my wife, my family and my team for supporting me through this difficult period.
“Obviously, I dedicate this win to my teammates who had to leave the Giro.”
After a six-man breakaway built a lead of over two minutes on the peloton amidst blustery conditions, Movistar ripped the race apart on the slopes of the only categorised climb of the day, working for their leader Enric Mas.
Movistar’s rip-roaring pace up the 14.5km, 5.9 per cent Cozzo Tunno climb removed the sprinters from consideration and established an elite group of 42 riders to contest the stage.
Jai Hindley remains in overall contention after making the split. (Getty Images: Dario Belingheri)
Australia’s general classification hopes Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Michael Storer (Tudor) all made the select group and recorded the same finishing time on the day.
Ciccone claimed the overall race lead, 4 seconds ahead of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Jan Christen in the overall standings.
Hindley (15th), O’Connor (18th) and Storer (21st) all sit 10 seconds behind alongside pre-race favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
Wednesday’s fifth stage is a tough, 203km test that sees riders head from Praia a Mare to the highest regional capital in Italy, Potenza in the southern Apennines.
With a gruelling 4,100m of climbing, the stage could favour a breakaway led by a punchy climber or be another test of the general classification favourites.
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