Adam Yates ruled out of Giro d'Italia due to ‘delayed concussive symptoms’ after major Stage 2 crash

In treacherous conditions in Bulgaria on Saturday, a number of UAE riders went down and suffered high-speed collisions 21km from the finish.

Marc Soler and Jay Vine were forced to abandon immediately after being assessed on the side of the road and taken to hospital, while a bloodied Yates got back on his bike and made it to the finish more than 13 minutes down on the leaders.

Although he was also assessed at the time of the incident and cleared to continue, further tests have ruled Yates out of the remainder of the first Grand Tour race of the season.

”Unfortunately, we can confirm that Adam Yates will not start Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia,” a team statement read.

An update from the team’s medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno added: ”Unfortunately we were badly affected by the crash on Stage 2 yesterday.

”Jay Vine suffered a concussion and an elbow fracture. Marc Soler has a pelvic fracture. At this stage, neither should require surgery.

”Adam Yates suffered a heavy abrasions and a laceration to his left ear. He was initially assessed on site for concussion, and cleared to continue, but subsequently he has shown delayed concussive symptoms. He will not take the start of Stage 3 today.

”All three are under observation of our medical staff and will travel home in the coming days to continue their recovery and rehab.”

The crash was a further blow to UAE's hopes of challenging for Giro glory. The team lost main GC contender Joao Almeida before the race began and are now left with just five riders for the remainder of the Grand Tour.

Vine and Yates are particularly keen losses at this stage, as they could have challenged Visma-Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard for the overall win.

Vingegaard was already the strong favourite but will now be even more fancied to add the Giro to his past Tour de France and La Vuelta Espana triumphs, provided he can avoid a similar incident between now and the finish.

The Dane laid down something of an ominous marker on Stage 2 with a blistering attack up the final climb.

It didn't yield a maiden Giro stage win, but it certainly caught the attention of TNT Sports experts Adam Blythe, Robbie McEwan and Matt Stephens, who all agreed the move reminded them of UAE's Tadej Pogacar.

Discussing the "catastrophic" blow for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in The Breakaway studio on Sunday ahead of Stage 3, TNT Sports experts Matt Stephens and Robbie McEwen found an optimistic way of seeing things.

While accepting the damaging impact that losing three leading riders will have, Stephens pointed out that it provides other team members with a rare opportunity to shine.

"It’s an awful situation, not one that anybody could foresee, but we have seen teams decimated in the past. We know how dangerous and stressful the early stages of the Giro can be. We’ve seen leaders fall early on," Stephens said.

"It’s catastrophic for them. But what they want to do now is look forwards. We’ve got another 19 stages to go, and they’ve got a team of real depth, but now the lads are going to have to step up and be given opportunities.

”Mikkel Bjerg, rather than sit on the front, [has] opportunities to go for the TT, for stages.

”[Antonio] Morgado, [Jhonatan] Narvaez, winners in their own right, and they’ll be given big opportunities. Jan Christen, Igor Arrieta, both superb climbers. This could be one of the only opportunities in the Grand Tour in the next couple of years that they get to step up and express themselves.

"So it’s massively disappointing, and they will be disappointed, but as this race moves on they will put that behind them and see it as an opportunity to excel, go for stages, and see what they can do on the overall as well with Christen."

McEwen seconded the point as UAE Team Emirates-XRG's remaining riders look to overcome a difficult start.

”It’s an opportunity to have their phoenix moment – rise from the ashes of Stage 2 and go onwards and upwards," he said.

"They’ve got the talent in the team to do it. Riders who are otherwise slightly different roles throughout the race now have an opportunity and it’s up to them to grab it.

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