Cristina Tonetti strongly wanted to participate in the Italian championships in Pordenone but, on Sunday, while her teammates battled to win the tricolor jersey, the 23-year-old from  Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi  was admitted to Manzoni Hospital in Lecco  for acute appendicitis.

After tests confirmed the diagnosis, Tonetti was operated on Monday and was discharged yesterday. From her home, she answered us when we contacted her by phone.

"I'm doing well, obviously not in top form, but I'm intact. Everything is okay, some post-operative pain but not as strong as what I had in recent days," says the young cyclist, who finished fourth in the opening stage of the Volta Catalunya, to tuttobiciweb.

Then she explains how it all started: "I had a definitely rough week. I wasn't feeling well, I had persistent pain that I couldn't figure out the cause of, so on Sunday I decided to go to the Emergency Room to understand what was happening,".

Then on Monday came the surgery: "At Manzoni Hospital in Lecco, everyone was extremely kind. In particular, I would like to thank the entire medical team of the General Surgery Department who took care of me during these days," Tonetti emphasizes.

What now awaits Cristina is some recovery time and a gradual return to activity, as she herself confirms: "Certainly I will need to rest for about two weeks, then, once the stitches are removed, we will assess the situation with the doctors. I'll take it one step at a time, health is the most important thing,".