159 make it to Milano: Abandons of the 2011 Giro d’Italia

MILAN, Italy (VN) ─ The 2011 Giro d’Italia was called by some the hardest in years. Going into Sunday’s final stage, 159 finishers were lining up for the final act into Milano.

The Giro was marked by the exit of the entire Leopard-Trek team following the tragic death of Wouter Weylandts in stage 3. The team rode the next day’s stage in honor of their teammate and then decided to leave the race. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo), one of the Belgian’s closest friends, also left in the wake of Weylandt’s death.

Without any sprint stages in the third week, nearly all the sprinters abandoned in the days following stage 12, the last bunch sprint of this year’s Giro. Robbie McEwen missed the time cut up Mount Etna while Murilo Fischer held out the longest, only pulling out during stage 18.

Only four teams ─ Ag2r-La Mondiale, Katusha, Liquigas-Cannondale and Saxo Bank-Sungard ─ arrived to Milano with all nine riders still in the race. Garmin-Cervélo and Colnago-CSF-Inox arrive with the least number of riders to Milano, with five each.

List of abandons from 2011 Giro d’Italia

Wouter Weylandt (BEL), Leopard-Trek
Brice Feillu (FRA), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Dominic Klemme (GER), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Bruno Pires (POR), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Thomas Rohregger (AUT), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Tom Stamsnijder (NED), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Davide Vigano (ITA), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Fabian Wegmann (GER), Leopard-Trek – DNS
Oliver Zaugg (SUI), Leopard-Trek – DNS

Jackson Rodriguez (VEN), Androni – DNF
Danilo Napolitano (ITA), Acqua e Sapone – DNF

Francesco Masciarelli (ITA), Astana – DNS

Chris Barton (USA), BMC – DNF
Chris Butler (USA), BMC – DNS
Martin Kohler (SUI), BMC – DNF

Manuel Belletti (ITA), Colnago-CSF-Inox – DNS
Sacha Modolo (ITA), Colnago-CSF-Inox – DNF
Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), Colnago-CSF-Inox – DNF
Filippo Savini (ITA), Colnago-CSF-Inox – DNF

Juan Jose Oroz (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi – DNF

Francesco Failli (ITA), Farnesevini – DNF
Andrea Noe’ (ITA), Farnesevini – DNF

Fabioandres Duarte (COL), Geox-TMC – DNF
Rafael Valls (ESP), Geox-TMC – DNF

Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Cervélo – DNS
Murilo Fischer (BRA), Garmin-Cervélo – DNF
Brett Lancaster (AUS), Garmin-Cervélo – DNF
Matthew Wilson (AUS), Garmin-Cervélo – DNF

Danilo Hondo (GER), Lampre – DNS
Marco Marzano (ITA), Lampre – DNF
Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre – DNS

Francisco Ventoso (ESP), Movistar – DNS

Adam Blythe (GBR), Omega Pharma-Lotto – DNF
Francesco Chicchi (ITA), Quick Step – DNF
Gerald Ciolek (GER), Quick Step – DNF

Graeme Brown (AUS), Rabobank – Time Cut
Tomjelte Slagter (NED), Rabobank – DNF

Manuel Cardoso (POR), Radioshack – DNF
Robert Hunter (RSA), Radioshack – DNS
Robert Mcewen (AUS), Radioshack – Time Cut

Davide Appollonio (ITA), Sky – DNF

Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad – DNS
Craig Lewis (USA), HTC-Highroad – DNF
Marco Pinotti (ITA), HTC-Highroad – DNF
Frantisek Rabon (CZE), HTC-Highroad – DNF
Mark Renshaw (AUS), HTC-Highroad – DNS

Borut Bozic (SLO), Vacansoleil – DNF
Michal Golas (POL), Vacansoleil – DNS