Broken bones, stitches and bruises: brutal medical updates after numerous crashes in Strade Bianche

Pogacar’s crash didn’t stop him from getting back on his bike and eventually taking victory. The Slovenian was mainly injured on the left side of his body and is unlikely to have a restful night. "The adrenaline is wearing off now, and I’m in a lot of pain. Hopefully, it’s nothing worse than it looks, and everything will be fine. I took that corner too fast, even though I know it well. Sometimes you just misjudge things, and that’s what happened. Shit happens."

Matej Mohoric, a former gravel world champion and a frequent top-ten finisher in Strade Bianche, was unable to start this time. The Slovenian rider from Bahrain Victorious has been struggling with illness since the Tour de la Provence, which also disrupted his plans for the Opening Weekend.

Decathlon AG2R also shared in the misfortune. Stan Dewulf literally crashed out of the breakaway, suffering a broken collarbone. Climber Clément Berthet sustained a deep wound on his knee in a crash.

The French team Groupama-FDJ lined up in Strade Bianche with David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, and Romain Grégoire as outside contenders but never managed to make an impact. Even before the final phase of the race began, both Gaudu and Grégoire had already crashed. "Gaudu mainly has superficial wounds at first glance," the team reported on social media. Madouas was unable to contest the finale due to a puncture at an unfortunate moment.

INEOS Grenadiers had Michal Kwiatkowski as their team leader, but the Polish rider crashed in the same corner as Pogacar and was forced to abandon early. Earlier in the race, Salvatore Puccio and Brandon Rivera had also crashed, with Puccio ultimately unable to continue.

Francesco Busatto of Intermarché-Wanty "hit the ground hard," according to his team. Fortunately for the Italian, he was able to reach the finish line.

Israel-Premier Tech also had to lick its wounds, losing Krists Neilands and Rhiley Sheehan to crashes. The team will provide a medical update later.

Mathias Vacek, who was the first to crest both the Muur and Bosberg in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last week, did not make it to the finale of Strade Bianche. The Czech rider injured his knee in a crash. Young talent Albert Withen Philipsen had earlier dropped from the breakaway but managed to finish the race.

At Lotto, Arjen Livyns fell on his face during Strade Bianche. The Belgian did manage to finish the race.

Movistar’s Spanish squad saw Davide Formolo and Ruben Guerreiro go down in crashes. Guerreiro was examined, but fortunately, only bruises were found.

The Dutch team Picnic PostNL lost its intended Tirreno-Adriatico leader Max Poole in a crash. The British rider will visit a doctor the same evening for scans.

One of the hardest-hit teams was undoubtedly XDS-Astana. The team lost Alberto Bettiol due to a flat tire, but more significantly, season revelation Cristian Scaroni and Diego Ulissi crashed out. Early reports suggest that Scaroni may have suffered a broken collarbone.