Mikel Landa is suffering with viral gastroenteritis and has been forced to pull out of the Giro d'Italia. His abandonment is a huge blow to Team Sky which has nobody else for the general classification.
By Brian Canty
Team Sky’s Giro d’Italia has been thrown into disarray with the news that Mikel Landa has abandoned the race this afternoon.
The Spaniard had been the team’s main hope of contending for the maglia rosa.
But when he climbed off the bike after being dropped on a category three climb today it’s left them without a man to challenge for the race.
Landa was 8th overall starting this morning after a brilliant time-trial on Sunday saw him just 1:18 off leader Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep).
He expressed optimism he could move up even further as the real hilly terrain lies ahead.
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But it was clear he was struggling from an early stage today and even though he had help around him in the form of David Lopez and Mikel Nieve, he would not regain contact with the front group.
While his withdrawal is a blow to the team, it changes the shape of the race for Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan who now have the freedom to chase stage wins.
Roche is 28th overall - 6:47 down - and Deignan is 95th – at 41:20.
Neither is a threat to the overall, so that could allow them some slack to get into breakaways.
Neither has won a stage of the Giro before and with ample opportunities between now and the race’s conclusion on Sunday week in Turin, expect both to try and save the race for Sky.
Already out of the race is Italian sprinter Elia Viviani after he missed the time cut on Saturday.
