Rear window completely smashed in as UAE Team Emirates car involved in collision with rider at Giro d'Italia
Reported victim Mathys Rondel carries on in the race
There were alarming scenes on stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia, as a team car collided with a rider, leaving the vehicle's rear window completely caved in.
Mid-way through Wednesday's stage footage emerged of one of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG cars, with its rear window almost entirely absent.
News from the motorbike reporters within the race soon started to piece together what had happened, and it was reported that a rider had collided into the back of the vehicle in a nasty crash.
"I talked to the team car of UAE, they said it was a rider crashing into the rear of their car, that's why their team car was damaged," said Eurosport's on-bike commentator Jens Voigt.
Voigt was only told initially that it was a rider from Tudor Pro Cycling, but a visit to that team car confirmed the rider in question as Mathys Rondel.
Rondel is one of the team's hopes for a strong general classification result, and thankfully, he appears to have come away relatively unscathed, getting back on his bike and continuing in the race.
"I had a chat with the DS of Tudor, Marcel Sieberg, and when I asked him about the rider that crashed into the team car of UAE they were almost smiling and happy with relief, because Mathys Rondel is back in peloton, still racing," Voigt reported.
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"So apparently the team car is more damaged than the rider himself."
¿¡Qué le ha pasado al coche de UAE!?#Giroditalia pic.twitter.com/GBkv5JdHZ1May 13, 2026
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Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.
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