UAE Team Emirates-XRG pre-race GC contender Juan Ayuso has abandoned the Giro d'Italia, after injuries first left him out the battle for the overall and then on stage 18 a bee sting from the previous day finally rendered racing on completely impossible.
Third in the 2022 Vuelta a España and with strong form during the spring, Ayuso had started the Giro as one of the top favourites alongside Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and he won the opening mountaintop finish stage at Tagliacozzo.
While teammate Isaac del Toro retains the overall lead in the Giro d'Italia - Ayuso's GC chances were severely compromised by a crash and knee injury on stage 9 and he lost nearly 50 minutes in the opening mountain stages of the third week.
Things went from bad to worse on stage 17 when he was stung by a bee halfway up the category 2 Parlasco ascent. Some 35 kilometres into Thursday's stage 18, Ayuso fell back and then climbed into a team vehicle - and straight out of the Giro.
"They've been very tough days, not at all good and then on top of that I got stung by a bee which got inside my helmet," he told Eurosport at the start of stage 18.
"I'm here because I wanted to be here for the team. The team told me not to start, but I want to try at least for the first kilometres."
However, after talking to the team and race doctor in the neutralised section, Ayuso was anything but helped by the fast start to stage 18 and he spent most of the first 45 minutes at the back.
Then, following a long on-bike debate with the team car, he fell back even further and finally opted to quit.
Ayuso's exit follows that of the other top pre-race favourite Roglič from the Giro on stage 16, also from injury, with Del Toro currently ahead overall by 41 seconds on Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easy Post).
Before abandoning Ayuso has already spoken to Spanish media about possibly racing the Vuelta a España, where already he has a third and fourth place on GC. But following this blow to his biggest stage racing target of the season - and with Pogačar possibly targeting the Vuelta, too - it remains to be seen how he will now handle his recovery, before making further plans.
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