Another setback for Gesink: Visma rider leaves Giro with broken hand | Giro d’Italia

The 37-year-old Gesink crashed on Saturday in the opening stage 27 kilometers from the finish. The Dutchman got back on his bike and crossed the line fifteen minutes behind stage winner Jhonatan Narváez.

Now the damage at Gesink appears to be greater than expected. His team Visma-Lease a Bike reports that he has suffered a fracture in his hand and therefore feels forced to give up the first major cycling round of the year.

For Gesink, the injury is a deception in his last year as a professional cyclist. The Dutchman has a long injury history anyway. Last year he broke his pelvis in a fall in one of the first matches of the year and was sidelined for two months.

Visma-Lease a Bike also has to swallow another setback. The Dutch cycling team is currently experiencing a disastrous season. Leader Wout van Aert saw his spring and his participation in the Giro fall apart due to a heavy fall in the Belgian one-day race E3 Saxo Classic.

Not much later, leader Jonas Vingegaard also suffered disaster. The 2022 and 2023 Tour winner suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a collapsed lung in a heavy fall in the Tour of the Basque Country. It is not yet clear whether he has recovered in time for the Tour de France.

The Giro d’Italia continues on Sunday with a tough mountain stage to the top of the Santuario di Oropa. After the lost sprint against Narváez, Tadej Pogacar is keen to win the pink jersey in this stage. The stage starts at 1:05 PM. The finish is around 5:15 PM.