Knee pain leads to Simon Carr’s early exit from the Giro d’Italia: British rider shares update on Instagram

"My withdrawal was due to knee pain that I first felt during the Tour of the Alps," Carr explained. "With the team's help, I tried to recover sufficiently over the past few weeks, hoping it would improve so I could contend for stage wins later in the race. But the reality was that as soon as I started cycling, it only got worse, leading to the decision to go home and recover rather than dig a deeper hole."

The EF Education-EasyPost rider is understandably disappointed but remains optimistic about his teammates' chances. "Of course, I'm devastated that I had to withdraw, but I'll enjoy watching my teammates over the coming weeks. Hopefully, they achieve the successes I know they're capable of!"

Carr was the third rider to drop out of this year’s 107th edition of the Giro d’Italia. Robert Gesink was the first, suffering a hand fracture in the opening stage and withdrawing the following day. Eddie Dunbar, who finished seventh overall last year, fell on the second day, injuring his right kneecap and suffering several cuts. He finished the stage but did not start on the third day. A fourth rider, Bram Welten (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), has also withdrawn, not starting on Tuesday due to illness.