Scaroni battles to sixth after Giro breakaway crash: 'The last thing we needed'

Scaroni was part of a selective front group when he was involved in a crash descending the Colle di Guaitarola alongside Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) and Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) with 40km remaining. 

Despite the heavy fall, Scaroni managed to battle through the pain, fuelled by adrenaline, trying to chase back to the front of the race. 

In the end, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) got the better of Enric Mas (Movistar) in a mano a mano sprint in Chiavari to claim his hat-trick stage win. Scaroni’s veteran teammate Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) won a three-man sprint for third, while Scaroni battled to sixth place, 1:13 behind the stage winner. 

As a result of his stage finish, Scaroni moved up to 13th in the GC, 4:48 behind race leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious). 

At the finish, Scaroni stated that he hadn’t broken anything, but came away from the incident worse for wear. 

“Nothing’s broken, which is the main thing. There are definitely some nasty scrapes and bruises, and that crash was the last thing we needed,” Scaroni told CyclingProNet. “But in a few days, we’ll be ready to fight again.”

The Italian almost bridged back across to the front group, but just as he was on the verge of contact, Mas accelerated. Mas’ acceleration split the group, and only Narváez could hold onto the Spaniard in a defining moment in the stage. 

“Ah, yes, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Still, we gave it our all from the crash right through to the end,” said Scaroni. 

Mas at the finish also reflected on the crash and sent his well wishes to those involved. 

“I hope everyone involved in the crash is okay because it was a fast and nasty crash, and I hope they weren't hurt,” Mas said at the finish.