An unlucky day in Malaysia for Mattia Gaffuri, the Lombard rider from Team Picnic Postnl who hit the ground in the early stages of the fourth stage from Meru Raya to Cameron Highlands. After approximately 20 km of racing, several riders were involved in a group crash. Gaffuri quickly got back on his feet and resumed racing after a bike change. At the finish line, he closed in the group of the best riders.

Much disappointment for Gaffuri who, after the finish, showed us the bandaging on his right hand, the part most affected by the crash. Following the stage, the Italian rider underwent medical examinations by his team. The most serious consequences were suffered by Owen Geleijn (Unibet Rose Rockets) who was forced to withdraw. Fernando Gaviria also crashed, but regularly finished the stage.

After his withdrawal from the Vuelta, the athlete from Erba returned to racing precisely at Langkawi where already during the night between Sunday and Monday, he had to deal with stomach problems. Despite not feeling optimal, he managed to complete the second stage, with a mountain finish, in seventh position.

UPDATE 3:00 PM Medical examinations carried out in Malaysia revealed a displaced metacarpal fracture at three points. The hand was then put in a cast. There is no official announcement yet, but Gaffuri, given these conditions, should not start tomorrow's fifth stage departing from Tapah.

«I am truly sorry about this crash, I came to Malaysia to perform well and I didn't want it to end this way - Gaffuri told us - unfortunately the Unibet team rider, because of a pothole, lost his grip on the handlebars, I was right behind him and couldn't avoid it». Despite the crash and the severe pain from the hand fracture, the PicNic team rider then pedaled for over 140 km without ever losing contact with the group.