British rider Adam Yates has been forced to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia with concussion before Sunday's third stage a day after being involved in a heavy crash.
A podium contender, UAE Team Emirates lead rider Yates went down in a massive pile-up that forced his teammates Jay Vine and Marc Soler to abandon the race on Saturday.
Vine suffered concussion and a fractured elbow, while Soler sustained a fractured pelvis, UAE Team Emirates medical director Adrian Rotunno said on Sunday, adding that neither rider required surgery.
On Sunday, Yates, 33, who finished the stage with his face covered in mud and blood, also withdrew from the race.
"Yates suffered heavy abrasions and a laceration to his left ear," the team doctor said.
"He was initially assessed on site for concussion, and cleared to continue, but subsequently he has shown delayed concussive symptoms. He will not take the start of stage 3 today.
"All three are under observation of our medical staff and will travel home in the coming days to continue their recovery and rehab."
Bad luck continues on the Giro for the third-place finisher in the 2023 Tour de France, who also crashed in his two previous participations in 2017 and 2025, although he managed to finish the race each time, in 9th and 12th place respectively.
The twin brother of Simon Yates, winner of last year's Giro, will now focus on his role as Tadej Pogacar's mountain lieutenant during the Tour de France in July.
Italian Andrea Vendrame (Jayco-AlUla), who finished the second stage on Saturday but is suffering from fractures in his lower back, is also a non-starter on Sunday.
Two other riders, Colombian Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain) and Norwegian Adne Holter (Uno-X), had already abandoned the race on Saturday.