🎥 Even the UAE team car isn't safe from crashes! Collision leaves its mark, but Rondel ok

An unusual sight emerged during stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia: the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team car was spotted riding through the race with its rear window completely smashed. IDL Pro Cycling can now confirm that Mathys Rondel of Tudor collided hard with the vehicle during the stage.

The first reports came from RAI Sport, who broadcast daily coverage of the Giro stages. Almost the entire rear window of the car had been knocked out — and there was no immediate explanation.

It was far from ideal timing. Heavy rain had been falling all day as the race made its way towards the finish in Potenza. The moment viewers caught sight of the car — as Jan Christen visited the team vehicle with 98 kilometres still to race — it caused immediate confusion.

Once Rondel's name was put forward as the cause, Tudor were able to confirm the news shortly after. The 22-year-old Frenchman somehow continued. "Our team director in the car has confirmed that he is okay," Tudor said. "Mathys will of course be fully checked over by the medical staff after the finish."

After the finish, Rondel rolled in without injury. He had finished with the GC group in the peloton and, after a quick freshen-up, was on the rollers alongside the Tudor bus. "Mathys is okay," confirmed Tudor sporting director Matteo Tosatto when asked.

"I wasn't there, but from what I understand, it happened just after a descent and Mathys was coming back after a puncture. You arrive frozen after something like that, and then a car suddenly stops in front of you. Mathys was right behind the car because he was rejoining the race. A typical race situation — you see it all the time."

No harsh words from Tudor, then — neither towards UAE nor towards Rondel himself. "It's nobody's fault," Tosatto said plainly. UAE also offered an explanation, with sporting director and driver Joxean Matxin stepping out of the windowless car to speak.

"It was a complicated day for everyone, and at the moment we pulled over to the right — because a Lidl-Trek car had stopped ahead of us — it was not only raining but also hailing. We were waiting for room to move when a rider suddenly came from behind," Matxin explained.

Just after a descent, it was a typically hectic race situation. More often than not, riders thread their way through the cars safely — but not this time. "We immediately heard he was okay, and that was confirmed by Tosatto. We asked after him straight away."

Matxin was clear that the traffic on the road was heavy, so speeds were low. "Thankfully it wasn't at high speed — 25 kilometres per hour, I think. And I believe our window broke because he came into it with his helmet, because he didn't go through it. The most important thing is that he's okay."