Team Sky's Geraint Thomas withdraws from Giro d'Italia due to injury

Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas has been forced to pull out of the Giro d'Italia due to injury.

The Welshman was taken to hospital on Thursday after being involved in two separate crashes during stage nine of the event on Sunday.

Thomas was involved in a big pile-up which was caused by a stationary police motorbike and was also involved in another crash earlier in the stage.

The 30-year-old dislocated his shoulder in the second crash and suffered an injury to the same knee in both crashes.

The crashes meant Thomas lost 48 seconds on leader Tom Dumoulin, of Team Sunweb, dropping to 15th place, six minutes and 46 seconds back.

Due to the extent of his injuries, the decision was made to pull Thomas from the event in order to give him sufficient time to recover for the Tour de France where he will be a key lieutenant once again for reigning champion Chris Froome.

The Tour de France begins in Dusseldorf, Germany on July 1.