Roberto Ferrari will publically apologise to Mark Cavendish before stage four of the Giro d’Italia after causing the crash which left the world champion with severe road rash.
The Italian, who rides for Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, swerved mid-sprint on stage three and took out Cavendish’s front wheel, resulting in a pile-up which also took down race leader Taylor Phinney, and FDJ-BigMat duo William Bonnet and Mickael Delage.
Ferrari was initially unrepentant, saying “I don’t care what happens behind me” in a post-race interview, but, after facing a barrage of criticism from fans and fellow riders alike, the 29-year-old will make a public apology before the race resumes with a 33.2km team time trial in Verona.
“After getting over the nervous tension of the race, Roberto Ferrari has declared he will publicly apologize to Mark Cavendish and to the other riders involved in the fall at the end of stage three,” read a Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela team statement.