The checklist of riders out of the race continued to develop on stage 3 of La Vuelta Femenina, with Emma Norsgaard amongst these bowing out of the race as she felt the affect of a stage 2 crash.
“The Dane’s DNF from La Vuelta Femenina, Tuesday, was a results of her ache to elbow (bruise + stitches obtained after Monday’s stage two) + important cervical contracture following yesterday’s crash,” stated Movistar on social media.
“Transferred by race ambulance to Teruel’s Hospital Obispo Polanco, examinations for main accidents got here again destructive.”
Norsgaard, nonetheless, was removed from the one withdrawal on the stage – with quite a lot of crashes including to withdrawals from a begin checklist that had in truth began dwindling even earlier than the race bought underway, with Canyon-SRAM’s Justyna Czapla and Neve Bradbury unable to start out resulting from sickness.
Anna Henderson was then among the many abandons after coming down on a crash marred stage 2. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider who had not lengthy returned to racing after breaking her collarbone did it another time and was listed as a DNS on stage 3. As was Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale), who additionally fractured her elbow in the identical crash close to the tip of that stage.
Marta Cavalli and Vittoria Guazzini of FDJ-Suez had been additionally added to the abandon checklist on stage 3. Cavalli has already had a tricky begin to the season after beginning late after injuring her pelvis in a coaching fall and will likely be a a lot missed a part of the group, with the rider having completed second within the race in 2022.
“Unfortunately I couldn’t take the beginning this morning at La Vuelta Femenina. Health is our precedence,” stated Cavalli in an Instagram post.
“I cheer for my FDJ-Suez teammates. Thanks to the group at all times by my facet.”
The French group, which incorporates Évita Muzic and Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Grace Brown, is now down to 5 riders, together with Canyon-SRAM who misplaced Bradbury as a GC card however nonetheless have Kasia Niewiadoma and Ricarda Bauernfeind as a robust duo to chase the general.
There had been 4 riders listed as a DNS (didn’t begin) and 6 as a DNF (didn’t end) – together with Natalie Grinczer (Roland) and India Grangier (Coop-Repsol) – on the stage 3 outcomes. There can also be potential for additional withdrawals earlier than or throughout stage 4 as a result of crashes of earlier days.
At 142 kilometres it’s the longest stage of the race, descending towards a possible bunch dash in Zaragoza, and whereas the terrain will not be significantly difficult the crashes on stage 3 could have left quite a lot of riders and groups ascertaining the affect in a single day. One such instance is Liv-AlUla-Jayco’s Teniel Campbell who got here down on stage 3 however continued on to complete, along with her group reporting on social media that she had no damaged bones however some ache, and plans to start out stage 4.
