Moolman Pasio requires 60 stitches as training crash puts her out of Strade Bianche

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (CCC-Liv), Ella Harris (Canyon-SRAM) and Clara Koppenburg (Équipe Paule Ka) have all been forced out of Strade Bianche after suffering crashes in training in the lead-up to the race.

All three women were set to return to Women's WorldTour racing in Tuscany on Saturday, but their teams now start the race one woman short due to their accidents coming so close to the race.

Harris came off the worst of the trio, breaking her hip in a crash on Friday. Her team confirmed the injury in a Twitter post, adding that the 22-year-old will soon undergo surgery.

Moolman Pasio also confirmed that she would be missing the race on Saturday morning. The South African needed 60 stitches after a training accident on Friday.

Meanwhile, Koppenburg posted on Instagram that she was heading home instead of starting the race after a crash on Friday, though didn't specify what injuries she had suffered. 

Some 22 teams started Strade Bianche on Saturday morning, with the cream of the crop of the women's peloton getting the Women's WorldTour back underway.

Former winners Annemiek van Vleuten, Anna van der Breggen, Elisa Longo Borghini and Lizzie Deignan are all taking part, while Marianne Vos, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak are also racing. 

You can follow live coverage of Strade Bianche Woman all day with us on Cyclingnews, or click here to find out how to watch the men's and women's races.