A mass crash on stage six of the Giro d’Italia forced several riders to pull out as Mads Pedersen retained the pink leader’s jersey after organisers neutralised the general classification battle.
Australian Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinted to victory in Naples to win the 227km stage in four hours 59 minutes and 52 seconds as he pipped Belgium’s Milan Fretin and Frenchman Paul Magnier on the line.
Denmark’s Pedersen finished more than five minutes behind to remain at the top of the overall standings, with Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic 17 seconds behind and Czech Mathias Vacek a further seven seconds adrift in third place.
However, the real drama occurred earlier when former Giro champion Jai Hindley was forced to abandon the race after a crash which left several competitors unseated.
The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider, who won the event in 2022, had to withdraw, having come off his bike following a pile-up in slippery conditions with around 70km to go on the stage into Naples. The Australian received treatment by the side of the road for his injuries and was not able to resume.
Pedersen was also involved in the crash – which affected around 20 riders behind Hindley – but was able to continue.
With roads made very slippery by rain, Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz, winner of the 2019 Giro, Briton Adam Yates and Magnier were also among those to hit the tarmac.
Hindley, 29, was the hardest hit and, despite being able to get up on his own, forced to abandon, while German rider Juri Hollmann, Czech Josef Cerny and New Zealand’s Dion Smith were among those to drop out.
After the crash, the stage was neutralised and the riders continued to move forward at a slower pace for about 20km before a new start was given and the race resumed.
With 10km to go, the peloton arrived in the outskirts of Naples, with conditions dry following the earlier downpours.
Frenchman Enzo Paleni and Dutchman Taco van der Hoorn then attempted to break away, but were caught with 2.5km left.
In the final kilometre, alongside the port, Belgian Wout van Aert made a pre-emptive split before the 26-year-old Groves powered past him to claim victory.
Friday’s seventh stage is a mountainous 168km ride from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo, just to the west of Rome, which includes three testing climbs.
