Elisa Balsamo, Sofia Bertizzolo suffer fractures in crash at Vuelta a Burgos

Elisa Balsamo on stage 1 at Vuelta a Burgos
Elisa Balsamo on stage 1 at Vuelta a Burgos (Image credit: Getty Images)

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) were forced to abandon the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas after a crash during the final sprint on stage 1 that sent both riders to hospital to receive medical treatment for their injuries.

The high-speed crash happened in the closing metres of the stage into Burgos. After a late left turn, Bertizzolo came out of the slipstream with 150 metres to go but lost control of her front wheel and crashed into Balsamo, pushing her into barriers at high speed.

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Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.