Demi Vollering won stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 in Santo Stefano di Cadore, taking the sprint from an elite GC group after the race split decisively on the Dolomite climbs. Anna van der Breggen finished second on the stage and kept the maglia rosa, but the overall picture tightened behind her as Vollering moved up to second overall.
The 146km stage from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore gave the race its first major mountain road test after the Nevegal uphill time trial. Passo Tre Croci, Passo Sant’Antonio and two ascents of Costa made the day hard enough to separate the best climbers, with Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo Borghini both losing time to the front group.
Van der Breggen now leads Vollering by 1:00, with Antonia Niedermaier third at 1:24. Isabella Holmgren climbed to fourth overall and continues to lead the young rider classification, while Reusser slipped from second to fifth after losing time on the stage.
For more race context, our Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 5 preview explains why this was always likely to be the first major road-stage GC test, while the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 full route guide looks ahead to the remaining stages.
Photo Credit: RCSHow stage 5 was won
Vollering took the stage from the reduced GC group after a hard final phase on the Costa circuit. The key selection came when the favourites began attacking and regrouping on the repeated climbs, with Monica Trinca Colonel briefly going clear before the strongest riders came back together.
The decisive front group formed with Vollering, Van der Breggen, Niedermaier and Holmgren. Behind them, Longo Borghini, Fisher-Black and Reusser were forced into the chase, and the gap was enough to reshape the top 10.
Once the front four reached the finale together, Vollering had the fastest finish and claimed her first stage victory of the race. The win moved her closer to pink, but Van der Breggen’s second place and controlled ride mean she keeps the race lead with four stages remaining.
Photo Credit: RCSGiro d’Italia Women 2026 GC after stage 5
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 15:55:13
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, +1:00
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, +1:24
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, +2:01
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, +2:03
- Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE Team ADQ, +2:12
- Niamh Fisher-Black, Lidl-Trek, +2:33
- Femke de Vries, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +2:38
- Monica Trinca Colonel, Liv AlUla Jayco, +3:21
- Urška Žigart, AG Insurance-Soudal, +3:26
Van der Breggen remains in control, but the race is far from settled. Vollering is now only a minute back, which keeps the pressure alive before the final weekend. Niedermaier also looks firmly established as a podium threat, while Holmgren’s rise to fourth overall was one of the biggest stories of the day.
Reusser’s loss changes the shape of the podium fight. She began the day second overall, but now sits fifth, just behind Holmgren and ahead of Longo Borghini. The margins between fourth and seventh remain close enough that the Sestriere stage can still reshape the top 10.
Points classification after stage 5
- Elisa Balsamo, Lidl-Trek, 105 points
- Lara Gillespie, UAE Team ADQ, 50
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, 36
- Chiara Consonni, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 36
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 30
- Lily Williams, Human Powered Health, 27
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 24
- Charlotte Kool, Fenix-Premier Tech, 24
- Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE Team ADQ, 21
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, 19
Balsamo keeps a large lead in the points classification despite the mountain stage moving the race away from her terrain. Vollering’s stage win moved her level with Consonni on 36 points, but Balsamo remains well clear before stage 6 to Brescello.
That makes stage 6 especially important for the ciclamino jersey. The route from Ala to Brescello is almost completely flat, so Balsamo has a clear chance to add more points and potentially another stage win after surviving the Dolomite block.
Photo Credit: RCSMountains classification after stage 5
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 35 points
- Valentina Cavallar, Team SD Worx-Protime, 24
- Lauren Dickson, FDJ United-Suez, 21
- Caroline Andersson, Liv AlUla Jayco, 20
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, 20
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, 16
- Nadia Gontova, Liv AlUla Jayco, 8
- Kristen Faulkner, EF Education-Oatly, 8
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 7
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, 6
Van der Breggen also keeps the blue mountains jersey. She added points on the Costa climb and now leads teammate Valentina Cavallar by 11 points. FDJ United-Suez also have two riders high in the classification, with Dickson third and Vollering fifth after a very active stage.
The mountains classification is still open because the hardest climbing day remains stage 8 to Sestriere, with the Colle delle Finestre likely to offer a much bigger points haul. For now, though, Van der Breggen controls both the pink and blue jerseys.
Photo Credit: RCSYoung rider classification after stage 5
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, 15:57:14
- Lore De Schepper, AG Insurance-Soudal, +1:31
- Marion Bunel, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +10:11
- Viktória Chladonová, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +10:45
- Rosita Reijnhout, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +15:14
- Célia Gery, FDJ United-Suez, +20:35
- Gaia Segato, Vini Fantini-Bepink, +21:50
- Stina Kagevi, EF Education-Oatly, +31:45
- Irene Cagnazzo, Vini Fantini-Bepink, +35:54
- Justyna Czapla, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, +36:17
Holmgren strengthened her grip on the white jersey with another excellent climbing performance. Finishing fourth on the stage, only two seconds behind Vollering, Van der Breggen and Niedermaier, moved her up to fourth overall as well as giving her a clear young rider advantage.
De Schepper remains second in the white jersey contest at 1:31, while Bunel is now more than 10 minutes back. Holmgren is no longer only defending the youth classification. She is now fully part of the GC battle.
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Photo Credit: RCS
What changed in the GC battle?
The biggest change is that the Giro now has a clearer front three. Van der Breggen remains the race leader, Vollering is back within one minute, and Niedermaier has moved onto the provisional podium. Behind them, Holmgren’s performance was a major statement, while Reusser and Longo Borghini both lost ground.
Vollering will take encouragement from the way she was able to help force the selection and still win the sprint. Van der Breggen, however, showed enough control to suggest she remains the rider everyone has to dislodge. She followed the decisive moves, took second on the stage and kept her advantage intact.
The GC has not been decided, but stage 5 has made it more selective. The riders who could follow on Costa are now clearly separated from those who had to chase.
What comes next?
Stage 6 from Ala to Brescello should move the race back towards the sprinters. It is a 159km stage with a much flatter profile, giving Balsamo, Consonni, Gillespie, Kool and the remaining fast finishers a major opportunity.
For the GC riders, stage 6 should be about staying safe, avoiding crashes and conserving energy before the final sequence of harder days. Stage 7 to Salice Terme brings more awkward terrain, stage 8 to Sestriere is the major mountain stage, and stage 9 around Saluzzo gives the race one final difficult day.
Van der Breggen has the maglia rosa, but Vollering has narrowed the gap and the race still has enough climbing left to change again.
Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 5 result
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