Geraint Thomas withdraws from Giro d’Italia 2020 with pelvis fracture as Arnaud Demare wins stage 4

Ineos-Grenadiers team leader suffered the injury after riding over a bidon

Geraint Thomas bears the scars of a stage three crash (AFP via Getty Images)

Geraint Thomas withdrew from the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday morning following the freak crash which left him floundering on Mount Etna the previous day.

Thomas was riding in the neutralised pre-race phase on Monday’s stage three when he rode over a water bottle as it rolled across the road. Footage showed Thomas, the Ineos-Grenadier team leader, hit the ground at some speed and although he got up and completed the day’s ride, he was clearly suffering from the effects of the fall, coming in 12 minutes behind.

Ahead of stage four, a devastated Thomas confirmed that a scan had revealed a minor fracture in his pelvis and he would not be continuing.

"It's so frustrating," Thomas said. "I'd put so much work in to this race. I did everything I could and feel like I was in just as good, if not better shape, than when I won the Tour. I was feeling really good. So for it just to end like this is gutting.

"I was really up for starting today. I woke up and wanted to start with the boys and at least help them go for stages over the next few days, but deep down I knew something wasn't right, so we went to get these extra scans.

"It does make the decision easier when there's a fracture in some ways, because obviously I don't want to do any more damage."

It is back to the drawing board for the 34-year-old Thomas, who will know that this was an opportunity missed to add to his sole Grand Tour victory, the 2018 Tour de France.

The French sprinter Arnaud Demare pipped Peter Sagan in a photo finish to win stage four on the sea front in Villafranca Tirrena. Portugal’s Joao Almeida of Deceuninck-QuickStep remains in the leader’s pick jersey, two seconds clear of Ecuador’s Jonathan Caicedo. Local favourite Vincenzo Nibali is sixth, 57 seconds back.