Alpecin-Premier Tech will have to adjust ambitions for this year's Giro d'Italia as Kaden Groves, their "best weapon" for stage wins, abandoned the race in the early flat kilometres of stage 4 on Tuesday.
The Belgian team confirmed on social media that the Australian would not continue due to injuries suffered on the opening day of the three-week Grand Tour.
"Unfortunately, Kaden Groves has abandoned the Giro d’Italia during today’s stage," Alpecin-Premier Tech posted to Instagram.
"Our Australian rider is still suffering from the aftermath of his crash during the opening stage of the race and was unable to recover sufficiently to continue the Giro. We wish Kaden a speedy recovery."
Groves was among a group of a dozen riders who went down in a large crash in the final kilometre of the Giro's opening stage in Burgas, Bulgaria. Alpecin-Premier Tech reported at the time that Groves "sustained abrasions to both shoulders, his calf and elbow," but he was able to continue across stages 2 and 3.
Once the Australian was back in action for stage 4 on Italian soil, following the first rest day of the Grand Tour, he lasted only 43km into the 139km ride from Catanzaro. The route was an opportunity for Groves to be part of another fast finish for sprinters, even with one categorised climb on the back half of the route.
Racing in Bulgaria wouldn't provide fond memories for Groves, who finished well back in the field the first two days and then in the middle of the pack into Sofia to close out the Grand Partenza outside of Italy.
He had hoped to add to his collection of two Giro stage wins, including last year's stage 6 win in Napoli and a victory in Salerno in 2023.
The chaos of stage 1 took place with just 600 metres to go when a Decathlon-CMA CGM rider swerved from the far right-hand side of the road, appearing to avoid contact with extended footings of metal course barriers.
However, the sudden change of direction triggered a chain reaction, with riders hitting the deck. Groves, Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5) were among the riders who were taken out of contention for the first maglia rosa.
All riders were able to complete the stage, while Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) blasted from the 20-rider group who escaped the chaos to take victory, the first of a pair of wins in Bulgaria.
Alpecin-Premier Tech will now look to Italian riders Francesco Busatto and Luca Vergallito for success on hilly stages, where they can move into breakaways on home turf.
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