Chloe Dygert crashes out of time trial at Imola World Championships

Chloe Dygert (USA) crashed during the elite women's time trial at the UCI Road World Championships on Thursday. She did not finish the race after seeming to lose control on a descent, hitting a barrier and going down the grass verge on the other side. 

Dygert was treated by race medical staff in an ambulance and then air lifted to the hospital in Bologna. She was confirmed to be conscious.

USA Cycling later confirmed that Dygert suffered a deep laceration to her left leg and required surgery. She underwent surgery on Thursday evening and is resting comfortably, and she is expected to make a full recovery, according to a USA Cycling press release.

The American was the favourite to win a second consecutive world title, after winning in Yorkshire last year, and set the fastest time at the intermediate check point, before she crashed over a road side barrier on the return to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.

The elite women raced a 31.7km flat, out and back, route that started and finished at the auto track. Dygert had set the fastest 14.9km intermediate check point with an astonishing 19:35 minutes, nearly half a minute faster than Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) and Van der Breggen (Netherlands).

However, Dygert appeared to have lost control of her bike through a right-hand bend on a downhill and crashed over the road side barriers. Padding on the corner ended before the point where she hit the barrier, meaning a hard collision for the American. Video footage showing her going over the barriers and her bike and into a other side.

Dygert was forced to abandon the event and was treated by medical staff at the side of the road before being transferred into an ambulance. Her injuries have not been confirmed, however, she was conscious.

Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) went on to win the time trial title in Imola. It was her first world title in the elite women’s time trial at the UCI Road World Championships, after placing second in the event on four previous occasions. 

Van der Breggen covered the 31.7km route in a winning time of 40:20 to beat silver medallist Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) by 15 seconds and bronze medallist Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) by 31 seconds.