• Giro d'Italia, Stage One

Opening stage marred by Garmin-Sharp crash

ESPN staff
May 9, 2014
Dan Martin (centre) suffered a broken collarbone in the crash © PA Photos
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Ireland's Dan Martin will miss the rest of the Giro d'Italia after crashing out of the opening team time trial stage in Belfast.

Martin fell after riding over a manhole cover in the wet conditions and took out several of his Garmin-Sharp team-mates. Team officials later confirmed he suffered a broken collarbone and will now miss the remainder of the race.

Rain showers and damp conditions made the 21.7 kilometre route around Belfast deceptively slippery. Garmin-Sharp team manager Jonathan Vaughters immediately took to Twitter to describe the incident as "cruel."

Australia's Orica GreenEdge team took victory in the opening stage, with Svein Tuft, who celebrated his 37th birthday on the same day, now leading the race outright. He was first to pass the line and will wear the pink jersey for stage two, which starts and ends in Belfast.

"It's an amazing day," Tuft told BBC Sport. "This is a pretty crazy way to spend your birthday and I can't thank team enough for giving me the opportunity.

"It's the chance of a lifetime for a rider like me. This is a special day. The team gave me a great birthday present."

The Orica team finished the route in 24 minutes 42 seconds, while Belgium's Omega-Pharma Quick-Step were five seconds slower.

BMC Racing took third with Tinkoff-Saxo fourth, 23 seconds off the leading pace. Team Sky were placed fifth after finishing 35 seconds off the lead.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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