Remco Evenepoel’s hopes of winning the Giro d’Italia took an unexpected hit when he crashed after swerving to avoid a stray dog during Wednesday’s fifth stage.
In rainy conditions, the Belgian was upended when the careless canine ran into the peloton’s path in the early stages of the ride from Atripalda to Salerno in southern Italy. A number of Evenepoel’s Soudal-QuickStep teammates waited for their team leader to dust himself off, leaving them adrift of the main group.
💥 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝐞𝗽𝗼𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 💥
🐕 A dog on the road takes down the world champion and other Soudal–Quick-Step riders!#giroditalia pic.twitter.com/s4kcLiZCgH
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 10, 2023
Evenepoel, the pre-race favourite to win the overall title, appeared to be in further trouble after losing the leader’s pink jersey to Norway’s Andreas Leknessund on Tuesday. After struggling to get back into a rhythm, however, he shook off the spill and was able to rejoin the main group, offering a thumbs up to the camera.
The dog did not appear to be harmed in the close call, instead retreating back to the roadside. Evenepoel handed his bidon to a spectator in a goodwill gesture while waiting for his team car – but he might feel it was rough justice that he was the only rider brought down in the incident.
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The stage continues towards Salerno at a slow pace, with riders keen to avoid any further spills on a drizzly and difficult day for racing.
