The Tour of Italy is over for Canadian cyclists Michael Woods and Riley Pickrell.
These were the only two representatives of the maple leaf registered in the Giro. Their Israel-Premier Tech teammate, Nadav Raisberg, was also involved in the crash during stage five on Wednesday. The Tour of Italy is the first major competition of the season, as it precedes the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain.
Israel-Premier Tech said Woods, of Ottawa, was forced to retire after showing mild symptoms of a concussion overnight. For his part, Pickrell, whose face showed several scratches attributable to the fall, was excluded from the race because he was experiencing “some confusion”.
This fall pushed Woods back to 107e rank in the general classification of the Giro, while Raisberg, who fractured a hand, was at 164e step. Pickrell brought up the rear, in 169e place.
The fifth stage, presented on Wednesday, spanned 178 km between Genoa and Lucca.