Pre-race favourite Primoz Roglic could be withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia after struggling to recover from injuries sustained in multiple crashes, Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe's sports director Christian Pomer said.
The Slovenian's title bid suffered a major blow after a crash on Saturday, his third in a week, left the 2023 winner struggling on the final climb to Asiago during Sunday's stage 15.
The 35-year-old finished more than a minute behind the pink jersey group and is now 10th, nearly four minutes behind Isaac Del Toro, who retained his overall lead heading into the final week.
"There is no point in hiding anymore that he doesn't feel well, that he's in pain," Pomer told the Cycling Podcast. "We tried to downplay it a little, and it worked until today, but today we saw the truth.
"When he's in pain, health comes first, that's what Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe stands for.
"It's not my decision to withdraw a rider from the race, there are clear rules in the team that the medical team takes the decision together with the athlete."