Giro 2025, Mikel Landa’s condition: there's fracture
It’s been a very unlucky start to the Giro d’Italia for Mikel Landa, the Soudal Quick-Step rider forced to retire following a crash five kilometers from the finish line of the first stage, in Tirana. The Basque, third last year in the overall standings, in fact suffered a fracture, as made known by his team on Friday evening.
“The Basque cyclist, present at the Giro d’Italia for the eighth time in his career, fell in a curve five kilometers from the finish ’reads the note -, as the peloton was heading toward Tirana, where the stage would later end. Mikel was immediately transported to hospital, where tests and a CT scan revealed that he had suffered a stable fracture of the vertebra (thoracic, ed.) Th11”.
“This condition will force him to remain in a fixed position for a long period of time – the Belgian team continues. He will stay in the hospital overnight before further evaluation is carried out and a plan for his return home is decided. All of us at Soudal Quick-Step wish Mikel a speedy recovery”.
Not only Mikel Landa was involved, despite himself, in the crash five kilometers from the finish: Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider Geoffrey Bouchard also suffered an injury that prevented him from continuing the race. The Frenchman, in 2021, had won the climbers classification at the Giro d’Italia, wearing the blue jersey all the way to the final finish in Milan.
