Giro d'Italia 2025 abandons: Mikel Landa crashes heavily in final kilometres of opening stage

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Soudal Quick-Step's Spanish rider Mikel Landa waves on stage during the opening ceremony and team presentation in Tirana, on May 7, 2025, two days before the departure of the Giro d'Italia 2025 cycling race. The Giro d'Italia 2025 cycling race will depart from Durres, Albania on May 9, and finish in Rome on June 1. (Photo by Luca Bettini / AFP)
Mikel Landa's Giro is already over (Image credit: Getty Images)
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General classification hopeful Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) became the first rider to abandon the 2025 Giro d'Italia after crashing heavily in the final 6km of the opening stage in Albania.

Soudal-QuickStep later released a medical update that confirmed Landa had suffered a stable fracture of the Thoracic 11 vertebra and that he will need to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time. "He will remain at the hospital overnight, before further assessment and a plan for his return home will be made," the team wrote.

Matilda Price
Assistant Features Editor

Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported from many of the biggest events on the calendar, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France Femmes, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.

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