Silvestri and Niewiadoma escape unscathed after a terrifying crash at Sanremo Donne

Silvestri was not in the first chasing group after the top of the Cipressa, where Lieke Nooijen had attacked for Visma | Lease a Bike. Kasia Niewiadoma took matters into her own hands in the chase for Canyon//SRAM, but the Pole descended far too aggressively. In a blind right-hand corner, she slammed hard into the barrier.

Strangely enough, Niewiadoma still got off relatively lightly, because the riders were down immediately after the corner, meaning those coming from behind had no chance to see what was ahead. That was why Margaux Vigié of Visma | Lease a Bike went over the guardrail first, although the Frenchwoman remarkably got back up straight away. The same could not be said for Debora Silvestri.

The 27-year-old Italian, riding for Laboral Kutxa, had a small gap to close and came through the turn completely unaware of what had happened. At high speed, she suddenly saw the fallen riders in front of her, and seconds later she was lying several metres further on, motionless on the ground. The television broadcast cut away just as we saw Silvestri move slightly, but the big question remained: how was she doing?

Fortunately, Laboral Kutxa provided an update around the finish. “Debora Silvestri crashed on the descent of the Cipressa. She is conscious and on her way to the hospital to receive treatment. We will provide more information on her condition in the coming hours,” the team said. That was, without question, the best news to come out of Sanremo Women.

The updates that followed were actually quite positive. Silvestri underwent a whole series of tests at the hospital before posting a message on her social media channels: 'Thank you for all the messages I’ve received. This wasn’t the finish I had envisioned, but I feel pretty good. I’ve broken five ribs and have a microfracture in my shoulder. It could have been worse. ‘

'Now it’s time to recover, but I’ll be back!’, said Silvestri. Other riders involved in the crash also escaped with minor injuries. Niewiadoma did not suffer any fractures, her team reported, just a lot of cuts and bruises. The Polish rider herself wrote: ‘My coach always says: if you don’t take risks, it’s not elite sport. I could have been more cautious, but I wanted to seize my chance.’