Gee-West to fight on at Giro despite high-speed crash and time loss

Derek Gee-West was among the fallers in the mass crash that briefly caused the neutralisation of stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia, but the Canadian champion looks likely to remain in the race despite losing time to his GC rivals in the closing kilometres.

The crash took place with 23km remaining when Marc Soler’s wheels slipped from under him, and around 30 or so riders came down with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider.

Gee-West was among the fallers, though he was able to remount and rejoin the peloton before the race resumed again with 18km remaining.

The pace ratcheted upwards almost as soon as the race restarted, with Egan Bernal (Ineos) snatching the bonus sprint and then Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) going on the offensive on the climb of Lyaskoevts Monastery Pass.

Gee-West was distanced on the climb, and he would come home 51st on the stage, 1:01 down on the 34-strong front group that contained overall contenders such as Vingegaard, Bernal and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

In the overall standings, Gee-West now lies in 41st place, 1:11 down on new maglia rosa Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS-Astana).

A spokesperson for Lidl-Trek said that Gee-West and Max Walsheid would undergo further assessment on the injuries they suffered in the crash, but the team expressed confidence that both riders would be on the start line for stage 3 on Sunday.

The mass crash saw five riders abandon the Giro on Saturday, while Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) lost more than 13 minutes and all hope of final overall victory in Rome.

Giulio Ciccone would emerge from the carnage to take third on the stage for Lidl-Trek, and the Italian lies fifth overall, six seconds behind Silva.

“The finale was really strange, we stopped, then it wasn't clear when we were setting off again, then this super explosive climb,” Ciccone said. “It was a shame about the finish, today was a really rough day. The roads were dirty, there was mud on them, and then obviously the stress –everyone knows the first stages are like that. Luckily I was on the other side, but I hope everyone is okay because it was a nasty crash.”