Fernando Gaviria abandons Giro d'Italia: I could barely push the pedals
May 17 2019 08:18 pm CET
Photo of Fernando Gaviria by UAE-Team Emirates
UAE-Team Emirates' Fernando Gaviria has abandoned the Giro d'Italia at the seventh stage of the race. The Colombian is suffering from a knee pain that stops him from continuing racing.
Gaviria has withdrawn from the Corsa Rosa in the first kilometres of the seventh stage of the race due to knee problems. UAE-Team Emirates commented that the rider has been suffering from pain in the left knee for the last few days.
"I was struggling from the start today and my left knee has been already been hurting for some days," the rider commented. "I tried to hang on but I could barely push the pedals.
"It's a pity because we were doing okay in the sprints and were ready to have another crack. The knee pain has complicated things: I'll rest now, take care of the knee pain and come back and build towards the next big goals."
The Colombian won the third stage of the race after Elia Viviani was relegated for irregular sprinting. He also finished in the fourth position of the second stage and in the second position of the fifth stage of the Italian grand tour.
Gaviria was unable to equal or beat his personal record of four stage victories that he took on the 2017 edition of the race. In 2019, he has already sprinted to victory in two stages of the Vuelta a San Juan and in one stage of the UAE Tour.
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