Piepoli pulls out of Vuelta

Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir) wins stage 9

Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir) wins stage 9 (Image credit: AFP)

Saunier Duval's Leonardo Piepoli was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a España before the start of stage 12 due to a family emergency. Piepoli, who was leading the mountains classification and won stage nine, was called home to be with his wife, Sonia, who fell seriously ill after giving birth to the couple's first child, Yannis. Piepoli's son is healthy, but Sonia developed internal bleeding following childbirth, and Piepoli felt compelled to be with her.

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