"I can't see with my left eye. I wanted to race, because if the legs are good and the heart beats then the passion is there."

Those were the words of Astana's Paolo Tiralongo after stage three at the Vuelta a España. Tiralongo received more than 20 stitches to his left eye on Sunday after a heavy crash at high speed put the Italian rider and more than two dozen other riders on the ground.

After medical attention and a painful night with anti-inflammatories and an ice pack on his face, Tiralongo ate breakfast and prepared to race the third stage, arriving with teammates at a midday start in the beachside town of Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol. Tiralongo raced the first hour in the peloton, but increasing pain in his head from the constant physical effort proved too much, and he retired from the race and returned to a local hospital for more examinations.

Tiralongo underwent a full cranial scan to determine that there are no bone fractures and no cerebral injuries, and will fly home to family on Tuesday.

Despite the grit, determination and desire, I was forced to surrender," he wrote on his website. "This morning, in spite of everything, I showed up at the start. I realized immediately that it was all too dangerous, I could not see anything and at those speeds, it was too big a gamble. I resisted for 50km but in the first long descent I found myself with two solutions: risk it all with the determination to move forward, or reluctantly stop. I chose the second option. I'm not here to tell you how much it cost me thinking about the great work done to be ready for that great appointment. There were no safety conditions to continue. I leave Spain and tomorrow I go back to Sicily."

Stage three finished in a mass sprint with Peter Sagan of Slovakia winning and Esteban Chaves of Colombia remaining race leader for a second day. Tuesday's fourth stage is a long, hot day into Extremadura. Astana Pro Team leader Fabio Aru is 47 seconds behind Chaves on General Classification.