"I knew the race was over": Massive Cipressa crash ends Milan-San Remo hopes for Niewiadoma and Le Court

A terrifying high-speed crash on the descent of the Cipressa drastically altered the finale of the Milano-Sanremo Women's race on Saturday. Two of the main contenders, Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Kim Le Court saw their chances evaporate with 19 kilometers to go after going down hard on a blind corner.

The thinned-out peloton was flying down the penultimate climb of the 156-kilometer Monument when disaster struck. A blind corner caught several riders off guard, leading to a massive pileup at the front of the race.

Niewiadoma was forced to abandon the race entirely, while Mauritian champion Le Court managed to remount and finish 99th, over seven minutes down. Despite her own dashed hopes, Le Court's immediate priority was checking on her injured rival.

"Everyone came and fell in front of us. At that point, I knew the race was over. My first thought was to go and check if she's OK because she didn't look good," Le Court recounted at the finish line in quotes gathered by Cycling News.

"I asked if she was OK. She was reacting, but I think she hit her head. I think she maybe went too fast, I'm not sure. I think she was leading. It's a blind corner, so I couldn't see around the corner when she crashed, but they didn't look good."

The crash collected far more than just the two favorites. With riders having nowhere to go on the tight bend, the incident quickly escalated. Deborah Silvestri appeared to be one of the worst affected, crashing over the guardrail. Her team confirmed she was conscious and transported to the hospital for care.

Two Visma | Lease a Bike riders also went down, with one falling several meters over the barrier. British road champion Millie Couzens, alongside riders from Human Powered Health and EF Education-Oatly, were also caught in the pileup.

For Le Court, the crash was a bitter pill to swallow. She had easily followed the pace up the Cipressa and was preserving her energy for the decisive final climb.

"I was feeling probably the best. Cipressa was good, but it was quite easy to follow. I was waiting for my turn on the Poggio," the Mauritian champion lamented. "It is what it is. It's racing. It's just really disappointing because I didn't really get the chance to show what I have, really."

With several major contenders eliminated, the race pushed forward to the Via Roma. Lotte Kopecky ultimately proved strongest in the reduced bunch sprint, crossing the line ahead of Noemi Rüegg to claim the victory.

Meanwhile, back at the team buses, Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto provided a reassuring, albeit cautious, update on Niewiadoma-Phinney's condition. Director of Sport Rolf Aldag hinted that she had escaped severe injuries.

"I'm not a doctor, so I will not give any medical updates on this, but we took her with us in the car, we had her here," Aldag stated. "Our team members are looking after her, and I think she's going to be OK."