Romain Bardet (Team DSM) has said he had no option but to abandon the Giro d’Italia, as illness left him “unable to pedal.” The Frenchman has made a major return to form in 2022 and, after winning the Tour of the Alps, put himself into a challenging position at the Giro. Ad/> He began Stage 13 within 14 seconds of leader Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo), and was viewed as the main challenger to race favourite Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers). Giro d'Italia'Headbutt them, elbow them' – Blythe lifts lid on former team-mate’s sprint adviceAN HOUR AGO However, he climbed off his bike early in the stage after being struck down with a sickness bug.