Chloe Dygert suffered a deep laceration to her left leg after crashing in the UCI Road World Championship time trial in Imola, Italy, on Thursday, and USA Cycling confirmed that Dygert is recovering in a Bologna hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

"We are relieved that this crash did not turn out to be the worst. This crash is tragic, but Chloe is young and a fighter," said Jim Miller, USA Cycling's sports performance chief. [With Chloe's determination, she will be back riding before long. For now, we want her to focus on her treatment."

The elite women's race took place on a flat 31.7km out-and-back course that started and finished at the Outdromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Daigert, who entered the race as the defending champion, set an impressive time of 19:35 at the 14.9 km intermediate checkpoint.

Daigert seemed to lose control on the downhill, hitting a guardrail and heading down a steep, grassy slope on the other side. She hit the guardrail just after the protective pad ended.

She was treated by the race's medical staff in an ambulance and airlifted to a hospital in Bologna. She was found conscious, but images showed a deep cut on her left leg.

"Dygert was immediately treated by the convention medical staff at the crash site. She was transported to a hospital in Bologna, Italy, where she was treated by the medical team. She was released from surgery and is resting comfortably and expected to make a full recovery."

Dygert's father, David, was interviewed by the IndyStar after the accident (opens in new tab). His father confirmed that Dygert suffered a laceration to his quadriceps muscle and that his ligaments were "torn or badly damaged." He also confirmed that Dygert underwent surgery to repair the laceration.

Dygert's personal coach, Kristin Armstrong, said she believed Dygert would recover fully from his injury.

"Chloe is a talented athlete. She's had her share of accidents in the past, but she's come back stronger than ever. I have no doubt that will be the case this time as well."

Armstrong told Cycling News that he was devastated and heartbroken to see Dygert crash during the time trial while watching the race on television from his home in Boise, Idaho.

"Chloe puts everything into bike racing. 'Chloe gives her all in bike racing. She is an intense competitor and an intense trainer."

[22 [She loves competition and the thrill of winning is built into her DNA. She loves to win [25] [26] "The most important thing for Chloe is to trust the return process. We all have to have patience and trust the process. It is not going to happen overnight. If we understand that and have patience, I have no doubt that Chloe will come back stronger than ever."