Simon Gerrans will miss the remainder of the Giro d'Italia after crashing on Stage 12.
His team, Orica-GreenEdge, announced that although he had sustained no serious injuries, he would withdraw from the race in order to recover in time for the Tour de France.
The 35-year-old has suffered an injury-hit year to date, breaking his collarbone in a mountain bike accident during the off-season before sustaining a broken elbow shortly after making his comeback.
Gerrans wore the leader's jersey, the maglia rosa, after GreenEdge won the Stage 1 team time trial, but will take no further part in the race as a precautionary measure.
He fell on the descent of the Crosara, which had been made treacherous thanks to the heavy rain, and received attention at the roadside.
Although the former Australian national road race champion climbed back onto his bike and went on to complete the stage, his team confirmed that they had withdrawn him from the race.
Orica-GreenEdge Sporting Director Matt White said: “It’s obviously really disappointing for Simon today. There hasn’t been much time for medical staff to assess too deeply yet but the good news is that whilst it is sore it looks to be just some skin off.”