Vine out of Giro after horrific crash

Jay Vine is out of this year's race following a sickening crash. (Supplied: SBS) Jay Vine was taken to hospital after a horror crash took down more than 20 riders on a slippery descent. Aussie hopefuls Jai Hindley, Michael Storer and Ben O'Connor all finished in the lead group alongside pre-race favourite Jonas Vingegaard. Sunday's third stage sees riders go from Plovdiv to Sofia via the ski resort of Borovets, with 175km of racing. Link copiedShareShare articleJay Vine is out of the Giro d'Italia and has been taken to hospital after a horror crash marred stage two of this year's race. Vine was one of several riders who horrifyingly slid into a crash barrier after falling on a descent with 22km remaining of the 221km ride from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo. The 30-year-old Australian was carried away on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance with the race briefly neutralised soon after to allow medical staff to attend to the fallen riders. UAE Team Emirates are yet to provide an update on his condition. Riders slide into a barrier on stage two of the Giro d'Italia 2026. (Supplied: SBS) The crash was reminiscent of his horror accident at the Itzulia Basque Country race in 2024 that saw him suffer a fractured back and, harrowingly, occurred on the 15th anniversary of the death of Belgian sprinter Wouter Weylandt, who died of injuries caused by a heavy crash on the descent from the Passo del Bocco on the 2011 edition of the Giro. Vine had also crashed at the Tour Down Under in January and the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in March. "Terrible crash, absolute carnage in the peloton," Simon Gerrans said on SBS commentary as more than 20 riders hit the deck on a slippery descent, leaving a mass of casualties littered across the road, covered in mud and blood and ripped jerseys. Andrea Vendrame of Australian team Jayco AlUla suffered fractures to three vertebrae bones in his lower back in the crash. Marc Soler, who was also taken to hospital, sparked the carnage after losing his front wheel on the descent, bringing down the majority of his UAE Team Emirates colleagues. "We were scared because we knew that the weather and the rain would make the roads very dangerous," said UAE boss Mauro Gianetti on TNT Sports. Only Mikkel Bjerg from UAE Team Emirates came through the crash unscathed, looking behind him and visibly swearing in disappointment as his teammates smashed into the road barrier behind him. Team leader Adam Yates lost 14 minutes to his general classification rivals after limping home covered in blood. Britain's Adam Yates was one of the pre-race favourites, but lost over 14 minutes after his horror crash. (AP Photo: LaPresse/Gian Mattia d'Alberto) "I think everyone could see that someone was going to fall on these roads, and we were the unlucky ones," António Morgado told Eurosport. "Everyone knew the roads would be very slippery, and that's exactly why everyone wanted to be at the front. Let's see how we go from here." The swift restart to racing was heavily criticised by riders, with Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) calling first-time race director Stefano Allocchio a "scared dog". "There were no ambulances left on course, but there was still a descent ahead that could have been dangerous," Stuyven told Belgian media HLN. "After a crash like that, we wanted a neutralisation of the GC times, the brave ones could still race for the stage win — but on that next descent, there was no need for anyone to take unnecessary risks. "The race director said they were looking at it. Then, like a scared dog, he stuck his head out of the car, started waving his flag and shouted 'race' — before quickly pulling his head back inside." The race was neutralised for around 4km. (Getty Images: Tim de Waele) The Giro released a statement saying that the "stage was restarted once the medical service confirmed that two doctor's cars and two ambulances had returned to the race". In the finale, Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) became the first Uruguayan winner of a grand tour stage and with it, the race leader's jersey. He edged Florian Stork (Tudor) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) in a reduced bunch sprint. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Aussie hopefuls Jai Hindley, Michael Storer and Ben O'Connor all finished in the lead group alongside pre-race favourite Jonas Vingegaard. Vingegaard, who launched a late attack to reduce the size of the field in the finale, had also crashed on the Itzulia Basque Country race in 2024 and admitted there was a "slight sense of déjà vu," about the incident. "It was a very nasty crash and I genuinely hope that everyone is OK," Vingegaard told IDL Pro Cycling. "I really don't like this — and I really am concerned about how my fellow riders are doing." Sunday's third stage is the last to take place in Bulgaria before the race shifts to southern It

Vine out of Giro after horrific crash

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Vine out of Giro after horrific crash

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