Moolman Pasio requires 60 stitches as training crash puts her out of Strade Bianche
Ella Harris and Clara Koppenburg also miss out after accidents in training
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.
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I've been looking forward to this day for many months, but @StradeBianche 2020 is just not meant to be for me. Bad crash in training yesterday, and 60 stitches later means I'm out of today's race. Wishing my @CCCLivTeam the best of luck and strong legs! Thanks for all well wishesAugust 1, 2020
Unfortunately Ella Harris won’t start @StradeBianche today after breaking her hip in a training crash yesterday. Ella will soon undergo surgery. We‘re sending her the best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. 💐 #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/gbWfO5mV6FAugust 1, 2020
A photo posted by @clara_koppenburg on Aug 1, 2020 at 12:39am PDT
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel, and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
Season highlights from 2024 include reporting from Paris-Roubaix – 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.