Geraint Thomas's crash at the Giro d'Italia may have sounded minor as it occurred in the neutralised zone but these videos, below, recorded by spectators from the roadside show the fall was a very heavy one.
While racing proper had not yet commence on today's stage 3 to Mount Etna, the bunch was still traveling at a decent speed, on wet roads and downhill, when the crash happened.
Thomas went over a water bottle that was rolling on the road and while he tried to stop he skidded on the wet and smooth surface and fell very heavily.
The videos below show that when he crashed he was still for a moment; clearly having been shook by the speed of the incident and the heaviness of the fall.
He later lost contact with the peloton with 20km to go to the summit finish before riding up the final climb and finishing more than 11 minutes down on the favourites' group.
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His team, Ineos Grenadiers, said the pain caused by the crash worsened as the road got steeper and Thomas (35) was forced to ride the final climb at his own pace.
— Salvatore Bertuccio (@salxber) October 5, 2020
Dr Phil Riley of Ineos Grenadiers gave an update on Thomas's condition after the stage, confirming no bones had been broken, though implying his continued participation in the race would be kept under review.
"Geraint crashed on his left side, so he took a significant blow to the back of his left hip and he has some abrasions on his left arm and leg. After the stage he was taken for x-rays at the finish," Dr Riley said.
"The initial x-rays didn’t show anything broken, but we are awaiting confirmation in the morning. We will treat him tonight, continue to monitor him and then review it in the morning again."
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