Madis Mihkels completes Giro d'Italia Wednesday stage despite crash
Top Estonian cyclist Madis Mihkels finished stage eleven of the Giro d'Italia race in tumultuous style on Wednesday, colliding with two other competitors and coming off his bike.
Tuesday's 207-kilometer Foiano di Val Fortore – Francavilla al Mare stage ended with a several-kilometer-long straight, with the cyclists battling against a headwind, ending up in a tight group finish.
A couple of hundred meters from the finish line, however, Mihkels, 20, who races for the Intermarché – Wanty team, hemmed in by other racers, lost control of his bike, unintentionally bringing down Fabio Jakobsen and Tobias Lund Andresen, both of DSM-Firmenich, with Jenthe Biermans (Arkea – B&B Hotels) also colliding with the ensuing melee.
| Arme Fabio Jakobsen. Hij wilde zich in de sprint mengen, maar wordt echt van zijn fiets gebeukt. Hopelijk valt de schade mee... #GirodItalia
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) May 15, 2024
Koers kijk je op discover pic.twitter.com/PjpktNvF2D
Fortunately, no one appeared to be seriously hurt, while the Estonian rider left the scene with his bike in hand.
All riders involved were credited with the same time as the stage winner, Italian Jonathan Milan of the Lidl – Trek team (4:23.18).
Mihkels is currently 125th in the race overall (+2:15.05), having attained a couple of top 10 stage finishes earlier on in the 3,400.8-kilometer race, which ends May 26.
Thursday's stage covers a 193-kilometer route from Martinsicuro to Fano. Cyclists will face some lower-category climbs, though the last 10 kilometers are either downhill or on the flat.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
