Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney has announced that she avoided major injury in the mass crash which overshadowed the final of Milan-San Remo Women on Saturday, declaring that “As my coach said, ‘If you don’t take risk, it’s not topsport.”
The Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto leader was one of several riders to hit the deck hard on the descent of the penultimate climb of the day, the Cipressa, going round a blind bend.
Mauritian champion Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) was another top favourite who had her race ruined by the fall, while several other riders were left with nowhere to go and also fell hard.
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Posting to Instagram on Saturday evening, Niewiadoma-Phinney gave an update on her condition.
“It’s about perspective, right? And as my coach said, ‘If you don’t take risk, it’s not topsport,” she wrote.
“I probably could’ve been more cautious, but at the same time, I wanted to seize every opportunity.
“I’m fortunate to get out of it with road rashes and bruises only… Thankful for my team’s support and Kim Le Court-Pienaar making sure I was okey! Much appreciated!”
Another rider who went down in the crash, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi’s Debora Silvestri, didn’t come out so well, however. The Italian was one of several riders who came around the blind bend and had no chance of avoiding the pile-up.
Silvestri collided with British champion Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech), also hitting the guardrail at the side of the road and then falling several metres onto the adjoining road below.
She posted on Instagram that she had suffered five broken ribs and a fractured shoulder in the fall.
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“Thanks for the many nice messages I received. Sure not the final I had imagined,” she wrote.
“I feel quite good, five ribs broken and a micro fracture on the shoulder… Could be a lot worse. Time to recover, but no worries, I will come back. Thanks team Laboral Kutxa for the support.”
Other riders involved in the mass crash, including Le Court-Pienaar and Couzens, went on to finish the race without sustaining major injury.
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