Zabalo seriously injured; Orbea leave race

23-year-old Orbea rider Xabier Zabalo crashed badly in yesterday's third stage of the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta and suffered serious injury, reports la Fundación Euskadi's wesbite. The youngster was immediately transported to hospital and was diagnosed with a hematoma and a fractured temporal bone. Due to the graveness of the injury, the rider will undergo surgery within the next 24 hours. Additionally he's reported to have broken his jaw. A fractured temporal bone coupled with a hematoma could potentially be life-threatening, but gladly his life is not at risk reports his team. Further news on Zabalo's situation have not been made public, but news are likely forthcoming in a day or two. Stay tuned.

As a result of the injury, coupled with mysteriously-termed 'disagreements with the organizer', the team has left the race altogether. Exactly why is not clear at the time of writing, and the team refused to lift the lid on what 'disagreements with the organizer' is supposed to mean.