Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleUAE Team Emirates-XRG are without doubt the biggest casualties of the mass crash in the finale of stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia. On a slippery bend, almost the entire team went down, with many hitting the barriers hard and colliding with other riders. The result was two abandonments, and a string of disappointed and bloodied faces.
ADVERTISEMENT
UAE were positioned near the front of the peloton, as they almost always are, when things suddenly went horribly wrong. Marc Soler slid out at the head of the train and crashed violently off the road. Jay Vine fell over the Spaniard and, like Soler, had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.
Along with Soler and Vine, almost the entire UAE squad went down. Mikkel Bjerg was the one who escaped. The Dane looked back and his expression said everything — angry, devastated and shaken, all at once. "Mikkel was the only rider who didn't crash," team boss Mauro Gianetti told IDL Pro Cycling after the finish. It later emerged that Jan Christen and Igor Arrieta had also come through unscathed.
Continue reading below the video
Morgado and Gianetti had seen the crash coming
"I think everyone could see that someone was going to fall on these roads, and we were the unlucky ones," António Morgado said critically to Eurosport. "Everyone knew the roads would be very slippery, and that's exactly why everyone wanted to be at the front. Let's see how we go from here. I'm in some pain myself, but we're not giving up."
Gianetti had also feared crashes on the Bulgarian roads, which have proven to be particularly unforgiving. The rain only made things more dangerous. "We were scared because we knew that the weather and the rain would make the roads very dangerous," the Swiss team boss confirmed to TNT Sports. "And this happened." "We have two riders, Jay Vine and Marc Soler, on the way to hospital. We just hope it's nothing too bad. Nothing is clear about their conditions for the moment. We're just waiting for information from the doctors."
Continue reading below the video
Adam Yates bravely rides on
Adam Yates emerged from the crash with his face covered in blood, but after medical treatment the Briton was able to finish the stage. He lost almost 14 minutes, and Gianetti was in no doubt: "His GC is over too. The start of this Giro is very sad for us. But the most important thing now is that nobody is seriously injured — and that applies to all the other teams too."
Arrieta also reflected in Spanish on the terrible day for his UAE team: "I'm not exactly sure what happened. I was just about to hand back some jackets and other kit, so I wouldn't have to carry it through the final section. And then suddenly I saw the crash. I could only see Jan and Mikkel still upright, and I didn't really know what to do."
UAE must look forward at the Giro
In a brief post-stage interview in Spanish, Igor Arrieta also shared his thoughts on the terrible day for his team: "I'm not exactly sure what happened. I was just about to hand back some jackets and other kit so I wouldn't have to carry it through the final section. And then suddenly I saw the crash. I could only see Jan and Mikkel still upright, and I didn't really know what to do."
Three riders down, and the task facing UAE Team Emirates-XRG after two stages is an unforgiving one: look forward. Jan Christen made a strong impression in the stage 2 finale, though the Swiss youngster cut a subdued figure afterwards. "We'll see. I'm not thinking about the GC — but I do have a few stages in mind. We're trying to keep morale high and do something special over the coming days."
Read also
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Track World Championships day 2: A golden day for Team GB, Levreysen goes 2 for 2, and Kopecky eliminates the competition
Rumours, speculation and guesswork: 2027 Tour de France route will be revealed live on October 22 in Paris
Latest Cycling News
Vote for the best mens rider of the 2026 cycling season: Pogačar, Pidcock, Vingegaard, McNulty, and more
Alberto Contador thinks 2027 Tour de France will be different: 'Pogačar is only this good because of Vingegaard'
Bas Tietema chats with Wout Poels about why he's staying with Unibet Rose Rockets for one more year
Former cyclocross star and Indurain's lead-out man, now 62: 'Struggling with an opponent he can’t shake'
Vanthourenhout guiltily admits wrongdoing after confrontation with Scot Cameron Mason: 'That's a closed chapter'
Popular Cycling News
99 steps await the European Cyclocross Championship competitors: 'There’s no hill quite like it'
Cameron Mason brushes off Vanthourenhout's angry abuse : 'A taste of his own medicine'
Video shows Vanthourenhout lashing out at Brit Cameron Mason after mistake costs him the win at Middelkerke
Wout van Aert's 2027 Calendar | There is one big title missing from his list of wins...
'I'm in pain- I'm dying': The horror story of medical mistreatment in Oman hospital from recovering Cofidis rider
Latest Comments
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
