'A major setback' - Lotto-Intermarché down to four riders at the Giro d'Italia as leader crashes out

Lennert van Eetvelt may have entered the Giro d'Italia attuned to as many as 15 stages where opportunity called, but stage 11 on Wednesday quickly turned from a promising prospect to a stumbling block for the Lotto-Intermarché rider.

Van Eetvelt had already shown his determination to make a mark on several occasions at the Italian Grand Tour, right from stage 2 when he followed Jonas Vingegaard's attack on the final climb, and while that move was ultimately caught and didn't yield the hoped-for top results, the strong form behind it meant the attempts to clinch a stage kept rolling.

It was, therefore, not surprising to see the Belgian, who had a breakout year in 2024 when he claimed the UAE Tour with a stunning solo up Jebel Hafeet, out in the break on the climb-punctuated course of stage 11.

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However, with around 40km to go on the stage to Chiavari, things went wrong on the descent, and instead of continuing the fight at the front, Van Eetvelt hit the deck, along with Filippo Zana (Soudal QuickStep) and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana). Scaroni managed to claw his way back to near the front, finishing sixth; however, Van Eetvelt ended up dropping back and finished 50th.

While he got through the stage, the rider, who is also looking to the Tour de France in July, medical checks after the stage brought a halt to his Giro d'Italia ambitions for 2026.

"Lennert Van Eetvelt crashed heavily in a descent during stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia. Besides suffering abrasions to his elbow and forearm, he also broke the middle finger of his left hand in the crash," said his team in a statement sent to the media late on Wednesday.

"Starting stage 12 tomorrow has therefore unfortunately become impossible. This is a major setback for Lenny and the team."

Lotto-Intermarché will now have the smallest group on the start line in Imperia on Thursday, lining up with just half the squad of eight it started with.

The team lost sprint prospect Arnaud de Lie on stage 4 and also Milan Menten on stage 5, both hit by illness, while an earlier crash took its toll on Joshua Giddings, who also pulled out on stage 5. Toon Aerts, Lorenzo Rota, Jonas Rutsch and Simone Gualdi, who came eighth in Chiavari, remain.

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