Stage six of the Giro d'Italia was temporarily neutralised after a mass pile-up in the peloton.
Among those who fell was the race's 2022 winner Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who sat on the floor dazed, and was forced to abandon. The Australian later revealed that he had suffered a "slight concussion" and a fracture in his spine.
The crash came with around 72km to go on the stage into Naples. A Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider appeared to fall first on a wet descent, taking down around 20 of the riders behind.
The pink jersey wearer, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), was also involved in the crash, but was able to continue.
The race neutralisation lasted around 25 minutes, in which time the 2023 champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) engaged in talks with the organisers.
The decision was taken to restart the stage from the 60km to go mark. The breakaway duo – Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) – were allowed to restore their 50-second advantage before the peloton followed.
An update from the Giro d'Italia at the time of the pile-up read: "Massive crash in the peloton with many riders involved, including Richard Carapaz, Jai Hindley, Paul Magnier and others.
"The race is neutralized for the moment, we'll provide updates as soon as we can."
The organisers later announced that there would be no points or bonus seconds awarded at the finish, and no time limits for the peloton.
"The stage win will be disputed in Napoli," an update read.
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) went on to win the stage in a bunch sprint, echoing his only previous victory at the Giro, which also came in wet conditions two years ago.
Pedersen, having decided not to contest the finish, rolled in minutes behind in 160th place.
"It's never nice to crash in a downhill like this at 70kph," the Dane said post-race. "When you hit the deck like I did today, it's not easy. I feel the pain from the crash. If I could, I would have loved to be in the sprint, but not today."
The stage classifications were set at the point of the crash, so Pedersen lost no time overall, and continues to lead the race by 17 seconds.
Alpecin-Deceuninck's Juri Hollmann and Intermarché-Wanty's Dion Smith also abandoned the race, having been involved in the crash. "A broken arm is feared," Alpecin-Deceuninck wrote on X of Hollmann.
