Ashley Moolman-Pasio (CCC-Liv) will return to racing at the 2020 Giro Rosa after suffering a training fall at Strade Bianche in August that left her with 60 stitches.

Mourman-Pasio is no stranger to recovering from injury. In particular, he fractured his hip in the 2016 Chrono de Nations, followed by a three-month recovery process.

Moolman-Pasio faced another comeback after a fall in training before the Strade Bianche when he hit a gravel road rut and an unexpected rock. At this time, the injuries sustained by South Africa's Moolman-Pasio did not include any broken bones.

On the eve of the Giro Rosa, his first race after the accident, Moolman-Pasio recounted the details of his unexpected crash.

"The crash before Strade was pretty nasty, luckily no broken bones, but there were complications. But for the first week I had an infection and couldn't ride my bike just in case. [The road to recovery was not smooth, Mourman-Pasio said, and he had to take things very slowly.

"I sprained my SI [sacroiliac joint] in the crash, so I had to take it really slowly; my SI [sacroiliac joint] is pretty stubborn, so I was limited in my training."

Since the initial recovery period, however, the CCC-Liv rider says he managed to build up his form before returning to the peloton. He said, "The last two weeks have been great. There have been ups and downs with the pain, but I've had a good workout. So far I'm 95 percent pain-free."

If 95 percent pain-free is equally reflected in his form, Mourman-Pasio could be a strong contender in the Giro Rosa, where he finished second overall in 2018 and fourth overall in 2019.

"I'm really happy to be here at the Giro. Obviously, I didn't get a chance to race much this year, so I'm really happy to get the opportunity to come back and race for the team. I don't really know what to expect from myself, but I know I've put in a lot of hard work this year and I'm hoping to get into the rhythm of the race, day by day," she said of her expectations. Of course I'll be happy if things go well and I won't take any chances"

. [The Giro Rosa will start on Friday, September 11 at 14:00 CET with a 16.8 km team time trial in the town of Grosseto.

For full reports, results, news, features, and galleries from the 2020 Giro Rosa, visit Cycling News' dedicated women's page.