As well as sprinters McEwen, Vierhouten, O'Grady, Cooke and Kirsipuu, Liquigas-Bianchi's Stefano Garzelli wasn't anywhere near the startline at the beginning of yesterday's stage in Mezzocorona.
"I hurt my back and my leg when I crashed last week [on Stage 7] and for the last few days, I've been riding in pain, especially in my lower back," Garzelli explained. "We did a scan that showed there is a lot of bruising there. My kidneys have been sore as well, so we think it's better to abandon and get better than risk my health."
Garzelli now has the Tour de France on his program.
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