Mike O'Connor
The 2026 Giro d’Italia Women delivered nine days of unpredictable racing before ending with a dramatic reversal on the roads around Saluzzo, where Demi Vollering overturned a seemingly secure lead held by Anna van der Breggen to claim her first Giro title and complete the triple crown of Grand Tours.
The race’s key turning point initially appeared to come on Stage 4, when Van der Breggen crushed her rivals in the mountain time trial to Nevegal and pulled on the maglia rosa.
From there, the Dutch veteran controlled the race through the sprint stages and into the mountains, carrying a lead of one minute over Vollering into the final weekend.
Among the highlights of the opening eight stages were Elisa Balsamo’s remarkable haul of four sprint victories, Célia Gery’s breakthrough win from a late breakaway on Stage 7, and Vollering’s victory atop the Colle delle Finestre on the shortened queen stage.
Although Vollering won on Finestre, she only trimmed Van der Breggen’s advantage to 50 seconds, leaving the Giro seemingly in the leader’s control heading into the final day.
Australia’s biggest result came on Stage 6 when Georgia Baker sprinted to third place behind Balsamo and Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster in a chaotic finish that rewarded the bunch’s best bike handlers.
Baker’s podium was one of the standout performances by an Australian rider during the race.
All action on the Queen stage
Starting the final 145km stage around Saluzzo 49 seconds behind Van der Breggen, Vollering needed an aggressive approach and she got exactly the race she wanted.
The action exploded with around 80 kilometres remaining when German climber Antonia Niedermaier attacked and was joined by defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini and New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black.
The move put the general classification under pressure and briefly elevated Niedermaier into the virtual race lead.
The decisive moment arrived on the Colletta di Brondello, the final climb of the Giro. Vollering attacked repeatedly before finally dropping Van der Breggen with 39km remaining. She bridged across to the leaders and quickly turned a virtual advantage into a race-winning margin.
At the finish, Longo Borghini won the stage sprint ahead of Fisher-Black, Niedermaier and Vollering, but the spotlight belonged to the Dutchwoman in pink.
By the end of the day she had transformed a 49-second deficit into a 30-second overall victory.
“I gave it my all on the final climb – it was the time trial of my life,” Vollering said.
“I had to be ready to take risks, even if it meant losing everything. I did it, we did it. I can hardly believe it.”
The victory completes Vollering’s collection of women’s Grand Tour titles, adding the Giro d’Italia Women to her previous Tour de France Femmes and Vuelta Femenina successes.
2026 Giro d’Italia Women: Final General Classification
Final General Classification – Giro d’Italia Women 2026
| Pos | Rider | Country | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demi Vollering | Netherlands | 29:54:19 |
| 2 | Antonia Niedermaier | Germany | +0:30 |
| 3 | Anna van der Breggen | Netherlands | +1:37 |
| 4 | Elisa Longo Borghini | Italy | +2:44 |
| 5 | Niamh Fisher-Black | New Zealand | +3:26 |
| 6 | Femke de Vries | Netherlands | +5:07 |
| 7 | Isabella Holmgren | Canada | +7:10 |
| 8 | Urška Žigart | Slovenia | +12:39 |
| 9 | Valentina Cavallar | Austria | +13:12 |
| 10 | Lore De Schepper | Belgium | +13:29 |
Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
