Kaden Groves claimed victory in the sixth stage of the Giro D’Italia on Thursday, finishing strong in a sprint, but it was a day marked by a major crash in wet conditions during the 227km ride from Potenza to Napoli.
This stage, the longest of the Giro this year, saw the race neutralized due to a crash about 70km in. Groves, perhaps surprisingly, managed to lead after a challenging five-hour effort, finishing ahead of Milan Fretin, while Paul Magnier, who crashed early on, took third place.
“It’s such a relief,” Groves expressed. “My team always had faith in me. It’s been a tough start to the season with injuries sidelining me from several races. These wet roads are tricky. Being aware of the cobbles starting around the 2km mark was crucial to staying ahead.”
“In the end, we followed the right riders, closed the breakaway, and executed our plan really well. Honestly, once it started to rain, it felt pretty manageable.”
A significant crash occurred when several riders, including previous Giro winners Jay Hindley and Richard Karapaz, fell behind the leaders Enzo Pareni and Taco Van der Hoorn by 47 seconds. As a result, the race was neutralized, and the pace was unified by the race director, leaving little beyond the stage win.
Hindley, the winner of the 2022 Giro, was found sitting by the roadside in apparent pain and eventually had to abandon the race, requiring ambulance assistance.
Karapaz, with a torn jersey from the incident, managed to rejoin the Peloton, but Josef Serny couldn’t continue. Meanwhile, Rainer Kepplinger was taken to the hospital with a serious finger injury, while his teammate Max Van Der Meulen underwent medical evaluations.
Despite the chaos, the team prioritized safety until the final stages, catching up with the lead duo less than three kilometers from the end. However, the race leader maintains a 17-second cushion over Prims Roglick.
