There was actually one crash on the final Giro day in Bulgaria — a battered Picnic PostNL gave an update
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Follow us on GooglePicnic PostNL did not make it through the opening three days in Bulgaria unscathed. The Dutch team saw five riders go down in the mass crash in the stage 2 finale. And even on a calmer third day, one of their riders hit the tarmac.
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Picnic PostNL arrived at the Giro d'Italia with sprint ambitions, but lead sprinter Casper van Uden was among the five riders caught up in the stage 2 finale. The Dutchman complained of wrist pain and was unable to play any role in stage 3 as a result.
Stage 3 ended, like day one, in a bunch sprint — and many other team members will have crossed the finish line on day three grimacing with pain. Alongside Van Uden, Sean Flynn, Chris Hamilton, Tim Naberman and Frank van den Broek had all gone down in stage 2. Van den Broek's start had been the biggest question mark, but he carried on despite a dislocated shoulder.
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Timo de Jong also crashes for Picnic PostNL
One of the three Picnic PostNL riders to avoid the stage 2 carnage was not so lucky on Sunday. Timo de Jong went down alone in the thick of the stage 3 finale. Van den Broek stopped to check on him and the two eventually rode to the finish together.
In the evening, however, the team confirmed via their official channels that De Jong had genuinely hurt himself in the fall. "Another setback after an already difficult opening weekend," the team wrote.
"Timo sustained abrasions to his left leg and has pain in his left wrist, which he had previously broken earlier this season. The team's medical staff will carry out further examinations on arrival in Italy."
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'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
