Debora Silvestri's fall over the guardrail.

Crash over guardrail overshadows Milan-San Remo

The women's cycling race at the Milan-San Remo spring classic was overshadowed by a horrific crash.

March 21, 2026

From: dpa

Italian cyclist Debora Silvestri crashed on the descent of the Cipressa, falling several meters over the guardrail onto the asphalt below. Her team, Laboral Kutxa, later reported that she was in stable condition and on her way to the hospital. Further information is expected later.

Several riders, including former Tour de France winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, initially crashed during the incident. Silvestri attempted to avoid them and then went over the guardrail.

Another rider suffered the same fate, but apparently her fall was less severe, and she was able to get back on her feet quickly. Two-time world champion Lotte Kopecky won the race in a sprint finish ahead of Switzerland's Noemi Rüegg.

Pogacar triumphs in the men's competition

Superstar Tadej Pogacar also crashed that day – but the Slovenian wasn't deterred. The dominant rider prevailed in the sprint against Briton Tom Pidcock after 298 kilometers on Saturday, winning the spring classic for the first time, a title that had been missing from his collection of victories. Belgian Wout van Aert took third place.

Tadej Pogacar even defied a fall. © ANSA / Roberto Bettini

Pogacar crashed heavily on a bend with just over 32 kilometers to go. "When I crashed, for a second I thought it was all over. It's the most important part of the race. Luckily, I was back on my bike quickly. There wasn't too much damage to my bike or me. My legs were still okay," said the four-time Tour de France winner, who launched an impressive comeback, practically flying past the entire peloton on the Cipressa climb.

The exceptional rider didn't even take a moment to catch his breath, but went straight into attack mode. Only last year's winner Mathieu van der Poel and Olympic mountain bike champion Pidcock were able to keep up with him on the penultimate climb. On the Poggio, the final climb, even Van der Poel had to drop back. Pogacar launched his sprint from the front and crossed the finish line a few centimeters ahead of Pidcock. "The emotions are indescribable. It was so complicated today," said UAE Team Manager Mauro Gianetti.

Pogacar is still missing Paris-Roubaix

In recent years, the Slovenian had always narrowly missed out on victory in Sanremo, twice thwarted by his great rival Van der Poel. With his first triumph at the "Classicissima," Pogacar has now won four of cycling's five Monuments, the most important one-day classics. The 27-year-old needs only a victory at the cobbled classic Paris-Roubaix, which takes place in three weeks.