Cyclist rushed to hospital after horrifying head-first crash at Milan-San Remo

An update on the condition of female cyclist has been given after a horrifying crash on Saturday.

The 156km race from the south of Milan and Sanremo descended into mayhem after a heavy crash which eliminated a host of riders and left one requiring a trip to hospital.

The female race was covered live on Eurosport and footage circulated of the crash which saw multiple riders collide with one another and come off their bikes on the descent of Cipressa.

A pile-up ensued but it was seconds after when the most frightening moment occurred involving Debora Silvestri, who experienced a sickening fall.

Just in shot in the bottom right corner on the TV coverage, Silvestri, who attempted to avoid the pile-up, went flying off her bike several metres over the guardrail and landed head-first at a terrifying impact.

The commentators could not help but gasp in fear of a serious injury as Silvestri lay motionless on the floor.

The crash was filmed from above through a helicopter but zoomed away from Silvestri after the accident.

Fortunately, her team Laboral Kutxa-Euskadi issued a positive update and confirmed that Silvestri was conscious and was on her way to hospital.

"Debora Silvestri has suffered a fall on the Cipressa descent," the team wrote on X.

"She is conscious and on her way to the hospital to receive care.

"We will provide more information on her condition in the coming hours."