Giro d'Italia: Fractured collarbone for Lobato

Juan José Lobato was one of four riders to record a DNF on stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia as the Movistar sprinter crashed, fracturing his left-collarbone 35km from the end of the stage bringing a premature end to his race. Lobato was examined at a medical centre which showed he had suffered a distal fracture of the collarbone in his crash along with bruising on his shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle explained the team's sport director Chente García Acosta.

While the majority of the Movistar team were riding at the front of the peloton leading into the base of the Monte Olongo climb to position Andrey Amador when a touch of wheels caused the incident, Lobato was unaffected in the rear with a second crash causing his injuries.

"The bunch had already split into several groups after the first crash, and he wasn't riding under stress nor pushing for Andrey at the front, but we think he touched another rider's wheel and that made him crash," Acosta said.

Lobato started his 2015 season with a stage win at the Tour Down Under, followed by two wins at the  Vuelta a Andalucia to mark himself as one of the sprinters to watch in the early season. The 26-year-old then had a month's break of racing before the Giro where his best result was second place on stage 7 to Fiuggi with seventh place on stage 17 to Lugano another top ten finish.

Nippo-Vini Fantini's Damiano Cunego also sustained a broken collarbone on the stage in a separate accident while Stig Broeckx was the third rider to break his collarbone on the stage having been involved in the first crash at the base of the Monte Olongo climb. Lotto Soudal confirmed the Belgian will undergo surgery for his injury.

IAM Cycling's Jérome Pineau was the fourth rider to abandon the Giro on stage 18 due to sickness.