Geraint Thomas withdrew from the Giro d’Italia with a fractured pelvis from crashing over a stray water bottle that lodged in his front wheel on Monday.
Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion, was about a mile into the neutral start within the peloton when he ran over the bottle that rolled across the road.
He remounted and finished the third stage, dropping from 23 seconds behind to more than 11 minutes back of leader Joao Almeida of Portugal. Thomas suffered abrasions up and down his left side.
Initial X-rays showed no broken bones, but he withdrew before Tuesday’s start.