Veteran Grand Tour star Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) has become the second top racer in a matter of hours to announce that he will not be taking part in the Giro d'Italia this year.
Landa, 36, is still recovering from a broken pelvis caused in the crash he suffered during stage 2 of the Itzulia Basque Country, when he was struck by the driver of a race organisation vehicle.
The driver was later expelled from the race, and Landa was able to complete the stage, only for later hospital analysis to reveal that he is suffering from a small fractured pelvis injury.
"Due to the nature of the injury, it was not easily identifiable initially, but subsequent checks have now provided a clear diagnosis. The fracture has already begun to heal but will require a further period of recovery," a team press release said.
Landa's announcement comes hard on the heels of the announcement by another top Giro d'Italia contender, João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) that he will also not be participating, because of poor condition.
Like Almeida, Landa is a former podium finisher in the Giro d'Italia, both in 2015 and again in 2022. He also won the mountain classification in 2017 and has three stage wins in the race. He rode his first of eight Giros to date way back in 2014, finishing 34th overall.
Last year Landa suffered a high-speed crash late on the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia, suffering major injuries and quitting the race in an ambulance. He also had another major crash in the Giro's first week back in 2021, forcing him to abandon.
"I am obviously disappointed, as I had worked hard to come back from a difficult winter and was starting to feel good again in Itzulia," Landa said in the press release.
"I had been experiencing some discomfort, but the type of fracture made it difficult to fully identify at first. Now that we have clarity, I can focus fully on my recovery.
"It’s a shame to miss the Giro d’Italia, especially as I was motivated to return after last year. But the priority now is to get healthy again and rebuild my condition, and then we will look ahead to new goals later in the season."
It is not yet clear when Landa will next race, but his absence in the Giro removes an important outsider from the GC battle. Soudal-QuickStep have not yet stated who will replace him in their line-up, although their strategy will now likely focus even more closely on young French sprinter Paul Magnier.
The top favourite on GC, meanwhile, remains Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who will be making his debut in the Giro on May 8 in Nessebar, Bulgaria.
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