Geraint Thomas crashes in neutralized zone on stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia

Giro d'Italia favourite Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) crashed hard during the neutralized zone on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia, with his injuries causing him to lose  more than 12 minutes on the Mount Etna finish and so any hope of overall success in the Corsa  Rosa.

Video footage shot by roadside spectators showed the moment of the crash as riders rolled out of Enna. 

Thomas hit a rolling bidon and came down heavily on his left side. He ripped his jersey and shorts but the team informed Cyclingnews that the Ineos Grenadiers rider appeared to only suffer superficial injuries. 

However Thomas had holes in his jersey and shorts on his left side. When the speed increased on the approach to Mount Etna, Thomas could not hold the wheels. He was paced by teammates Filippo Ganna and Salvatore Puccio but finished 12:19 behind stage winner Jonathan Caicedo (EF Pro Cycling), his overall hopes ending with injuries just as they had in 2017.