Team Sky wheel sponsor issues response to Gianni Moscon's dramatic Tirreno crash

The supplier of Team Sky's wheels has issued a statement after Gianni Moscon suffered a nasty crash at Tirreno-Adriatico after his front wheel collapsed.

PRO, which is a subsidiary of Shimano, said that it was investigating the incident, but pointed to the fact that the wheel passed both international safety standards, and the UCI's own wheel tests.

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"PRO is continuing its investigation into the issue we saw with Team Sky at the team time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico. We are continuing to look closely into all factors that could cause the incident.

"During production the three-spoke wheel passed PRO's extremely high internal quality control and ISO/UCI standards. PRO's three-spoke wheel was introduced in 2014 and has a flawless record, achieving countless time trial victories since, including BMC's team time trial win in the same stage."

Moscon suffered a dramatic crash on the opening team time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico when he hit the deck after his front wheel collapsed beneath him.

It is currently unclear exactly what caused the crash, which left the Italian with nasty road rash although thankfully no serious injuries.

Speaking after the stage, team leader Geraint Thomas said that Diego Rosa and Mikel Landa also suffered problems with their wheels, although neither of those incidents were caught on camera.

Team Sky eventually finished the stage in 18th place, with Thomas conceding that his chance of winning the race had vanished as he lost 1-42 on the opening day.

Update - 2/6/17

Team Sky wheel sponsor PRO has now finished its investigations into the incident, concluding that the crash was caused by mechanics not fitting the wheels with wide enough tyres.

The team will continue to use the wheel in competition, with PRO stressing consumers to make sure they fit a tyre that is at least 24mm in width.