Francesca Pellegrini was one of the main protagonists at the Egmont Cycling Race Women, a 128.6-kilometer race held in Zottegem, Belgium, where UAE Development Team took part.
The Italian rider launched a solo attack, later joined by other riders, and animated the breakaway that stayed ahead for most of the day, gaining over a minute on the peloton.
In the finale, as the bunch started to close in, she didn’t give up and tried again on her own. A few moments later, however, she was caught and overtaken by two other riders, at which point she decided to ease off and return to the group.
Bad luck struck with 2 km to go, when Pellegrini crashed. Fortunately, she escaped without serious consequences. In the end, she was rightly rewarded with the prize for the most combative rider of the race.
The group sprint was eventually won by Martina Alzini of Team Cofidis.
