Enrico Battaglin was in the bunch before the last climb started, but when the overall favourites increased the pace, he was dropped. Sports Director Addy Engels said, “Enrico had good legs and showed himself in his own region.”

“After yesterday’s stage, I did not feel well. I could not eat or drink anything yesterday evening and threw up everything out that I still had in my stomach,” Kruijswijk said this morning. “I’m totally empty and have hyperthermia. Then it’s physically irresponsible to start.” 

Kruijswijk began the three-week tour in Sardinia with a rib fracture suffered in the Tour de Yorkshire. 

“This is a disappointment. The Giro did not go as I had hoped it would go. I recovered from that fracture gradually during the race. Yesterday was a really bad day for me. After the stage, it appeared I had a problem."

“It makes you want to forget this Giro quickly. I never had the rhythm that is required to perform well in a grand tour like this. Physically, I felt good, but your body has to be 100 per cent fit as well.” 

Kruijswijk needs time to look ahead and plan his next goals. “First I want to feel fit again and process the disappointment of leaving the Giro with only two days to go,” Kruijswijk explained. “Then we will look forward again.”

“It is really disappointing to lose a top ten spot in the GC like this,” Sports Director Addy Engels added. “We did not have a good start with his rib injury. We had hope and confidence that he would get through. And he did eventually. At that stage, the podium was already to far away, but a nice top 10 spot was possible. All praise for him and the team that they have always believed in it and continued to work for it.” 

Engels looked ahead to tomorrow, when the last stage of this year’s Giro finishes with a time trial from Monza to the Duomo in Milan. “Jos van Emden saved his energy for tomorrow’s time trial. Let’s hope we can end this year’s Giro with a good result there.”