For Giro d'Italia Women leader Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), what looked like a relatively inconsequential stage 7 on paper turned into a possible stumbling block in her maglia rosa defence.
The GC leader crashed with 56km to go, and although she returned to the peloton eventually, the effects of the crash will only become clear on Saturday’s queen stage 8 with the Colle delle Finestre and the finishing climb to Sestriere.
“I think I’m kind of OK. I have some wounds which you have after the crash, but I could continue to the finish,” Van der Breggen said in the host broadcaster’s flash interview.
The Dutch woman went down in the pile-up but appeared to be unhurt, quickly getting back up to check her bike and get going again.
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All four of Van der Breggen's remaining SD Worx-Protime teammates – Valentina Cavallar, Elena Cecchini, Barbara Guarischi, and Femke Gerritse – were also involved.
“We were in a right-hand curve. The riders in front of us braked, then crashed, and we all fell on top. It was impossible to avoid,” Guarischi told Eurosport after the stage.
Others caught in the crash included fifth-placed Marlen Reusser (Movistar), ninth-placed Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), and white jersey contender Lore De Schepper (AG Insurance-Soudal).
Many of the riders caught up in the carnage looked to get going again quickly. The remainder of the peloton, who had avoided the crash, continued at a reduced pace, led by Lidl-Trek as Van der Breggen and her teammates paced their way back over a two-minute deficit.
Van der Breggen made it back to the peloton and did not lose any time on her GC rivals, but the aftereffects of the crash are likely to impact her chances of defending the maglia rosa in the Alpine stages to come over the weekend.
The maglia rosa skipped the customary press conference, opting to maximise her recovery time ahead of Saturday’s queen stage where the general classification will be decided.
“I think everybody needs to go tomorrow. If you go for pink, then tomorrow is the most important day. The climb is really long. I will try to recover this evening and this night. I will probably be stiff tomorrow, but if the legs are good, then you feel the legs more than anything. Hopefully, I can have a good day again,” said Van der Breggen.
Other than Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) gaining five seconds with her late attack, the GC is unchanged: Van der Breggen is a minute ahead of Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) in third place is 1:24 minutes down. Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) sits 2:01 minutes behind, followed by Marlen Reusser (Movistar) two seconds further down and Longo Borghini at 2:07 minutes.
After her stage 4 mountain time trial victory, Van der Breggen said, “It’s good that I can defend and see what's happening”, having put a minute or more into everybody else.
Following her stage 7 crash, it is likely that the 36-year-old will react to her rivals’ moves instead of trying to make the selection herself – but a lot can happen on the 18.5km of the Colle delle Finestre.
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