Just five days after crashing while leading the Giro Rosa and abandoning the race with a broken wrist, Annemiek Van Grooten is considering competing in the UCI Road World Championships this week after a test ride wearing a wrist brace.

Defending road world champion Annemiek Van Grooten was competing in the Italian Women's World Tour with Mitchelton Scott when she crashed in the last kilometer of stage 7 of the Giro Rosa to Maddaloni.

She left the race and returned to the Netherlands for wrist surgery.

That changed after the surgery. On Sunday, Van Vleuten said she was considering defending the rainbow jersey with the Dutch national team.

"My doctor was very open to the possibility, and I was surprised about that," she told NOS.nl. 'It's not a complicated fracture. I'll take it one day at a time and do my best to recover optimally. You never know."

Van Vleuten won the 2019 women's title with a 100 km solo attack on the challenging Yorkshire circuit, and the Imola circuit in Italy, where the race is being moved from Aigle in Switzerland due to coronavirus restrictions, is similarly hilly and technical. The Imola circuit in Italy, which was moved from Aigle, Switzerland due to coronavirus restrictions, is similarly hilly and technical.

Van Breuten, wearing a special brace on his wrist, was given permission to try the ride outside on Tuesday.

"It went well. The doctor said I can ride outside with the brace on. I have no pain when I ride my bike. The brace gives me more strength. I don't think I need it, but it might be good for a four-hour race," she said.

The elite women's road race is on Saturday, but Van Vleuten will wait until Friday to make a final decision.