Uttrup Ludwig crashes on opening day of Giro d'Italia Donne

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig crashed during the opening team time trail at the Giro d’Italia Donne. The leader of the FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope squad confirmed that she sustained bruises but that she was cleared to begin stage 2 that finishes on the summit of Prato Nevoso on Saturday.

"Unfortunately I went down yesterday. I’m bruised but not broken.It was probably the worst thinkable start to the Giro. We lost a lot of time in the GC BUT we haven’t lost the will to battle! We live to fight another day," Uttrup Ludwig said.

The Giro d'Italia Donne kicked off on Friday with a 26.7km team time trial that started in Fossano and finished in Cuneo. Trek-Segafredo covered the route in a winning time of 33:40 beating SD Worx by eight seconds and Ale BTC Ljubljana by 40 seconds.

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope finished the team time trial in 12th place at 1:46 behind Trek-Segafredo with Uttrup Ludwig now positioned 51st place in the overall classification.

The team later confirmed that Uttrup Ludwig crashed during the opening kilometres of the race and that they also had a midd-race mechanical. Uttrup Ludwig got back on her bike and finished as the fourth rider along with Evita Muzic, Brodie Chapman, Eugenie Duval, all 1:46 down. Marta Cavalli finished 3:58 down and Maëlle Grossetête finished7:59 down.

"Team was not spared by bad luck…" FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine  confirmed. "A complicated 1st day in Italy, on the team time trial, a crash at the start and a flat tire will have made the race difficult. But the team didn't let go, resulting in a 12th place at the finish, 1min45 behind Trek-Segafredo, winner of this stage."

The Giro d'Italia Donne continues on Saturday with stage 2's 100.1km race from Boves to the first mountaintop finish at Prato Nevoso.