UAE team car left with smashed windscreen after bizarre incident at Giro d'Italia
Published 13/05/2026 at 15:56 GMT+1
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UAE Team Emirates-XRG have already endured a chaotic Giro d'Italia featuring three DNFs and a stage victory - but nobody could have predicted the latest twist in their rollercoaster Grand Tour.
Giro team car left with gaping hole after smashed windscreen drama
Video credit: TNT Sports
Reduced to just five riders after the heavy Stage 2 crash that forced out Adam Yates, Jay Vine and Marc Soler, UAE were finally back in good spirits thanks to Jhonatan Narvaez's brilliant win on Tuesday.
But they were quickly brought crashing back down to earth during Stage 5 after a bizarre incident in heavy rain involving their team car.
Television pictures showed the rear windscreen of a UAE team car had been completely smashed, leaving a huge hole exposing the boot in extraordinary scenes.
It soon emerged that Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling) had inadvertently crashed into the back of the vehicle on wet roads.
"I talked to the UAE team car," said Jens Voigt, TNT Sports' roving reporter on the motorbike. "They said a rider crashed into the rear of their car, that's why it's damaged in the rear. It was a Tudor rider."
Voigt later caught up with Tudor, who were relieved that Rondel had not sustained a serious injury in the collision.
"They were almost smiling and happy with relief because Mathys Rondel is back in the peloton," added Voigt. "He is still racing. So apparently the team car is more damaged than the rider himself."
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