Unlucky 13 for Mandri

Estonian René Mandri may not have had triskaidekaphobia when he was given race number 13 at the start of the Giro d'Italia, but that may change after the AG2R La Mondiale rider helped to initiate the stage six winning breakaway only to crash out and abandon the race.

The group of twelve riders were pushing to the limit to try to extend a two minute lead on the peloton when, 76 kilometres into the stage, Mandri crashed hard, suffering a broken vertebra and several fractured ribs and a perforated lung.

The day also ended the race for Cofidis' Kevin De Weert and Milram's Enrico Poitschke, who had to cut short his Giro debut because of a cold. "I have been having breathing problems because of a cold for several days now," Poitschke said. "Today's stage started right off at a high speed. In my condition it was just not possible to keep up. Too bad that my Giro premiere was so short."