While Saturday’s Milan-San Remo ended with a spectacular sprint, the first moment of drama was a terrifying crash as the leaders descended the Cipressa.

With 18 kilometres to go, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney went down hard in a tight corner, crashing into a metal guardrail. The Polish national champion took down several riders with her. The situation worsened when several more were unable to avoid the downed riders. At least two hit Niewiadoma-Phinney while she was on the ground.

That included Debora Silvestri of Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi. Fans watched with dread at the Italian rider hit the downed Canyon-SRAM star, sending her catapulting over the guardrail and falling several metres onto a road below.

Canada’s Sarah van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike) was also caught up in the Cipressa crash. The B.C. racer was able to continue and place 26th at the finish, Canada’s top result at this year’s Milan-San Remo. Visma-Lease a Bike has shared that neither of its riders involved in the crash (Margaux Vigie also went down) sustained serious injuries.

Team’s update on riders injuries

After the race, Canyon-SRAM provided an update on Niewiadoma-Phinney’s injuries. Considering how brutal the crash looked, initial appearances are that the Polish national champion fared surprisingly well.

“Kasia was assessed by our team doctor and sustained multiple cuts and bruises. We will continue to monitor her recovery closely. We wish Kasia, along with everyone else involved in today’s crashes, a smooth and speedy recovery.”

Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi also provided a brief update on Silvestri on Instagram.

“She is conscious and on her way to the hospital to be treated,” the team said of their Italian rider. “We’ll provide more information on her condition in the next few hours.”

Update: Silvestri later updated followers on her status, sharing that she’d suffered five broken ribs and a micro-fracture to her shoulder, adding “it could be worse,” and that she’d be back after taking time to recover.

Crashes are an unfortunate part of cycling. We hope all riders recover from their injuries as fast as possible.

You can see the video of the crash below but, even knowing most of the riders ended up relatively alright, it’s a hard scene to watch.

A number of the top riders in the women’s peloton were caught up in a crash of the descent that saw riders go over the guardrail in a horror fall.#SanremoWomen | March 21 | SBS VICELAND + SBS On Demand pic.twitter.com/WWuTvoUBqO

— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) March 21, 2026