The BikeExchange-Jayco women's team lost two key riders at Strade Bianche after Kristen Faulkner and Ane Santesteban crashed while scouting the course and the Spanish rider hit her head in the fall.

"The helmet saved my life. Luckily there were no broken bones, but I have a terrible headache and it will take some time to recover."

"We also wish Kristen Faulkner a speedy recovery. We will be back again."

Santesteban and Faulkner were among the players most likely to finish strong for Australia. Before the crash, sporting director Martin Vestby had this to say: "We go into Strade Bianche with a strong team and I am confident that we will be in good shape and have multiple options ready."

However, the 136-km race through the Tuscan hills will be a total of 31.4 km of gravel racing, including eight sectors and six categorized climbs. Faulkner debuted in Strade Bianche last year with TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank and finished 16th, while Santesteban competed in 2020 with Serratigit-WNT and finished 15th.

Amanda Spratt, a two-time top-10 finisher, would normally be the obvious top contender on a team's starting list for Strade Bianche, but since she will be racing in Europe for the first time in over five months following surgery for iliac artery endometriosis, "the She warns that expectations for the race must be realistic. Ruby Roseman-Gannon has had a great run, including second place in the first stage of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, but Strade Bianche will be her debut race and her first women's World Tour race in Europe.

Georgia Williams and Jess Allen are part of the team that led former team leader Annemiek van Fruten to victory in 2019 and 2020, adding strong racing experience to the team. Urschka Zigert and Arianna Fidanza were also late call-ups to replace the injured duo.

"It is never a pleasure to receive such a call, so my emotions are mixed, but I am excited for one of the most beautiful races on the calendar.