The Slovenian was descending the Passo Godi as part of an early breakaway on stage 9, when he flipped over his handlebars after an awkward entry to a fast corner.
It appeared that Mohorič hit a crack in the road and was knocked off balance. He initially stayed upright but then appeared to have his front wheel catch and was sent somersaulting, landing on his head.
Mohoric landed on his head, always a cause for concern, but thankfully the 26-year-old has since tweeted that he's ok despite the dramatic fall.
When his bike hit the ground, it did so with such force that the fork snapped clean off, the front wheel careening away with still half of the fork attached, while the rest of the bike lay a few metres away near a stunned Mohorič.
Mohorič regained his feet and appeared to be getting ready to rejoin the race, but reconsidered and sat down by the side of the road as medical attention was sought.
He was eventually placed into a neck brace and into the ambulance, signalling an end to the race for the Slovenian.
"Matej was brought to the nearest hospital to undergo further assessment. We’re certainly talking about a concussion, but I can reassure you by saying that he was always conscious," team doctor Daniele Zaccaria told Italian TV station Rai.
"He spoke with the mechanic and directeur sportifs after the crash. They told me he asked them to call his girlfriend, so he could remember her phone number, which made me a bit calmer about the situation. The impact was significant, so he will undergo x-rays too to make sure he hasn’t fractured any bones."
New concussion protocols introduced at the start of the 2021 season dictate that a rider who is suspected to have suffered a head impact should be assessed by the first people to respond to the scene of a crash, such as sport directors, mechanics, other riders or coaches. It was unclear if that protocol was followed, with it being Mohorič making the decision not to remount the spare bike that was offered to him.
The Giro d'Italia continues on SBS tonight with Stage 10, live from 2130 on SBS VICELAND and SBS OnDemand. An hilly finish to the stage could see it go the way of the sprinters or a late attack, and it promises to be yet another exciting finale!
