The three-time road world champion Peter Sagan dropped out early on the Tirreno-Adriatico long-distance bike ride.
The Slovakian, who was already weak at the start due to a fever, did not compete in the third stage on Wednesday. In the sprint final the day before, Sagan, who has been driving for the French team TotalEnergies since winter, achieved his best result of the season so far in fourth place.
The German riders just missed out on winning the day in the sprint final of the 170-kilometer stage from Murlo to Terni. Pascal Ackermann (Kandel/UAE Team Emirates) finished fifth, followed by Phil Bauhaus (Bocholt/Bahrain Victorious), like the day before. The five-time Tour stage winner Caleb Ewan (Australia/Lotto Soudal) prevailed in front of Arnaud Demare (France/Groupama-FDJ) and Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) from the Netherlands.
The Italian Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) successfully defended his overall lead again. On Thursday, the classification riders are in demand again, the 202-kilometer stage ends in Bellante with a steep climb.
“It could have gone better, but it could also have gone worse,” Sagan said at the finish on Tuesday. According to media reports, fever and stomach pain are the reasons for his exit from the “race between the seas”, which ends on Sunday. On March 19, Sagan wants to compete in the classic Milan-Sanremo.