Aru yearns for end to bad luck in Vuelta a Espana

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Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates), his shorts ripped open in a crash with 10km to go on stage 17 of the Vuelta a España, laid into his team as they attempted to help him up from the ground, the frustration of a dismal season and an even worse Vuelta bubbling forth.

After the stage, once he'd cooled down and medics tended to his wounds, he was declared fit to complete the next four stages, despite taking a hard blow, and issued an apology for his outburst.

"I took an impact to my lower back, which worries me, as well as the pain," Aru said in a press relelease.

The Italian tangled with Bahrain-Merida's Hermann Pernsteiner on the descent of the Alto de Gontzegarain, which led into the base of the Alto de Balcon de Bizkaia - the final climb of the day. "We were descending at 70 kph, and it could have been a lot worse," Aru said.

When he finally got up, Aru was shouting angrily about his bike.

"I apologise for how I reacted after the crash, but the adrenaline was flowing, I was in pain, and you lose control sometimes. I hope to recover quickly. We'll see tomorrow morning. It depends on how I get through the night."

It has been a hard year for Aru, who crashed on stage 2 of the Vuelta and has struggled to live up to the reputation of a former race winner. It has been compounded by his struggles in the Giro d'Italia - where he consistently lost time until abandoning on stage 19. Earlier in the season he abandoned the Volta a Catalunya with muscle problems.

"I would like this to be an end to my bad luck in 2018," he said.