Astana's Fabio Aru has had to abandon his Giro d'Italia goals after a knee injury sustained in training last week has forced him off the bike for 10 days.
The team announced today that Aru was diagnosed with pre-patellar bursitis. Aru crashed at speed when his front tyre punctured while he was training in the Sierra Nevada mountains on April 2.
Aru will undergo further examinations on April 20 to assess his injury.
“I’m so sorry and disappointed for what happened," Aru said in a press release. "I was dreaming [of] the Giro start from my [home in] Sardinia and we were preparing the Giro for months. Unfortunately, the accident occurred, [and] does not allow me to be at the start in sufficient condition and albeit with great regret, we are forced to give up."