Elisa Longo Borghini crashed on the final descent of stage 5 at the Giro Donne, and although she finished the race in Ceres, was later taken to a nearby hospital for additional medical checks to rule out a concussion, confirmed her team Lidl-Trek.
“Elisa crashed in the final descent of today’s stage. After a few minutes, she got back on the saddle and finished the stage. After an immediate check-up, the team doctor decided for furthers check at the hospital, where she’s right now,” the team said in a press release after the stage.
“In particular, Elisa feels pain in her right shoulder. After hitting her head, she will be submitted also to an appropriate check to rule out concussions. More updates later.”
Longo Borghini fell through a hairpin corner on the final descent of the stage. She got back on her bike and finished the race at 7:33 behind the day’s stage winner Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM), but lost time in the general classification and slipped from second place to seventeenth, now at 8:18 behind overall leader Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar).
After her stage win on Monday, Longo Borghini went into the queen stage of the Giro Donne sitting in second overall, 49 seconds behind race leader Van Vleuten.
With the cima coppi, the Passo del Lupo, coming very early on in the race, Van Vleuten used it to launch her bid for an even greater lead in the GC, and Longo Borghini was unable to follow. Van Vleuten crested the top of the Passo del Lupo with Longo Borghini’s Lidl Trek teammate, Gaia Realini, in tow but the pair were caught by a chasing group containing Niamh Fisher Black (SD Worx) and Longo Borghini.
A third chase group then joined the front group between the bottom of the Passo del Lupo and the next categorised climb. Eventual stage winner, Antonia Niedermaier attacked over the top of the penultimate climb and it was left to Longo Borghini and Van Vleuten to chase down the young German.
The pair were gaining time on the Canyon-SRAM rider on the final climb of Sant’Ignazio before Van Vleuten accelerated away from the Italian champion towards the top.
With Van Vleuten in pursuit of Niedermaier and Longo Borghini in pursuit of Van Vleuten, the pair took risks on the descent which saw both riders come off their bikes in separate crashes on the same corner.
Van Vleuten was first to lose control just before the hairpin bend, exiting the road onto a grass verge before quickly righting herself and getting back onto her bike and in…
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