Hard crash for pink jersey wearer Anna van der Breggen and Barbara Guarischi in Stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia

About fifty kilometers from the finish, things went wrong for Team SD Worx-Protime. The entire team was involved in a crash. Pink jersey Anna van der Breggen remained on the ground for a while after the impact, as did Barbara Guarischi. After chasing a fast-moving peloton, Team SD Worx-Protime managed to regain a position at the front. Due to the crash, Van der Breggen will start the important stage over the Colle del Finestre in a battered state. "She is still feeling the effects of the crash and it will be a matter of seeing how she gets through the night," said sports manager Danny Stam.

"I’m quite battered, which is only logical after such a hard crash. The Colle del Finestre will be very important with a view to the pink jersey. I will definitely start feeling very stiff. I hope I can recover a bit tonight and still have a good day tomorrow," Van der Breggen said immediately after the finish of stage seven of the Giro.

Van der Breggen, together with Barbara Guarischi, was the main victim of the crash that marred stage 7. As both were having quite a lot of trouble with it, they were examined by the team doctor. It turned out that Van der Breggen and Guarischi sustained multiple hematomas, bruises and wounds all over their bodies. However, they show no symptoms of a concussion, but it will be a matter of waiting to see how they get through the night for the remainder of the Giro.

“We’re going all in with Team SD Worx–Protime. The other riders also protected me well in the beginning. Femke Gerritse made it over the first climb too — I could see she was suffering. It’s a small group, but we give 100%. In the next phase, I was under constant pressure, but I’m happy I survived the stage and I’m still in pink. In the technical descent, I tried to put the others under pressure. I knew I couldn’t really rely on my sprint to win the stage. But my descending skills are good, so I gambled on creating a gap downhill to go for the stage win. It didn’t work, but I’m still satisfied with today.”

“What has changed in the three years I was a sports director? The overall level has become much higher. The differences between riders are smaller. If you’re not in top form, you won’t be fighting for the win. It took me some time to get back to this level. I’m proud to be in the pink jersey as one of the older riders. The new generation is performing really well. Training methods have also changed somewhat. But experience also has its advantages. I can handle long training sessions better, both physically and mentally. I know what I’m doing it for and what my abilities are. I hope I can keep this pink jersey until the end, but there are still important battles ahead. Whether I’ll allow a breakaway without GC contenders to go tomorrow? Gladly (laughs).”