UPDATE 2-Cycling-Dumoulin's Giro challenge hit by crash as Roglic consolidates lead

Tom Dumoulin's Giro d'Italia challenge suffered a major blow when the 2017 champion lost just over four minutes in a crash near the end of the fourth stage on Tuesday. The Dutchman, one of the favourites for the three-week race, hit the ground in a massive pile-up about six kilometres from the line in a 235-km ride from Orbetello won by Ecuador's Richard Carapaz.

Slovenian Primoz Roglic retained the overall leader's pink jersey as the crash involving Dumoulin also held up several overall contenders. Team Sunweb rider Dumoulin, who had started the day in fifth place in the general classification, crossed the finish line surrounded by his team mates, with blood dripping from his left knee.

"X-ray reveals no fracture for Tom Dumoulin," his team said in a statement. Among those held up were two-times champion Vincenzo Nibali of Italy and Briton Simon Yates, who limited the damage in losing 16 seconds to Roglic.

Team Jumbo-Visma's Roglic leads Yates by 35 seconds and Nibali by 39 going into Wednesday's fifth stage, a 140-km stretch between Frascati and Terracina. While Dumoulin was struggling to pedal to reach the line, Carapaz was the strongest of a small group in an uphill finish, holding off sprint specialist Caleb Ewan of Australia and Italian Diego Ulissi.

Fourth overall last year, Team Movistar rider Carapaz had lost 45 seconds after a late mechanical problem on Monday. “Yesterday was a bad day for me. Today I rode with a new mentality and set out to gain a few seconds," Carapaz told reporters.

"I knew there were fast riders with me. I made my effort 600 metres out and well, it's very emotional for me." (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Alison Williams and Toby Davis)