Nizzolo calls an end to his season with hip fracture

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Trek-Segafredo announced on Wednesday that Italian sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo will end his season early after suffering microfractures to his hip in a crash during the Tour de l'Eurometropole on September 22.

Trek-Segafredo head physician Gaetano Daniele explained: "Giacomo was involved in a massive crash at the Tour de l'Eurométropole. Last week, during his bike trainings, he was still feeling pain in the hip and in the groin. We decided yesterday to perform an MRI that revealed two microfractures in the right acetabulum region. Unfortunately, this means that Giacomo will be off the bike for three weeks and cannot participate in the planned races in Italy and China."

Nizzolo was due to compete in two Italian one-day races before heading to the Hammer Series Hong Kong, which would have been his final race with Trek-Segafredo, the organisation he has been with since he turned professional in 2011. He will move to Dimension Data in 2019 after signing a two-year deal.

"Every time you end a season with a crash, of course it's not ideal," Nizzolo said. "Coming off the Vuelta in good shape, I would have liked to exploit it at the best in the final races of the season. The blow in Belgium has been quite severe though. I felt that right away, but we had to wait and see for a few days how my injuries would evolve. Today I got the results of the further examinations we undertook and unluckily I have two microfractures that don't really leave me much of a choice."

Nizzolo has had two seasons of misfortune with knee injuries, and has just one victory to his name this season - a stage of the Vuelta a San Juan. He had hoped to be able to add to that tally in the late season after finishing the Vuelta a Espana, where he had five top-10 finishes and three stage podiums.

"I am of course very sad that I won't be able to race in the Hammer Series in Hong Kong and in the two races in Italy, Beghelli and Tre Valli, which were for me a real goal after finishing the Vuelta in such a good condition. It's a pity, but I will focus on my recovery now and I will just anticipate the period of rest I had planned after the season and will restart training earlier to build up for what's next."