Demi Vollering won stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 on the Colle delle Finestre, taking her second stage victory of the race and moving closer to Anna van der Breggen in the general classification. The queen stage did not finish in Sestriere as planned, with the race shortened because of the risk of ice falling on the descent from the Finestre, but it still produced a fierce final battle between the strongest climbers.
Vollering beat Isabella Holmgren and Antonia Niedermaier from the front group, with Van der Breggen finishing fourth and defending the maglia rosa. The time bonuses made the main difference at the top of the standings. Vollering’s stage win cut Van der Breggen’s lead to 49 seconds with one stage remaining, while Niedermaier stays third and Holmgren remains fourth overall.
The jersey picture also changed. Van der Breggen keeps pink, Elisa Balsamo remains in control of the points classification, Holmgren still leads the young rider classification, and Vollering moves into the mountains jersey after drawing level with Van der Breggen on 45 points.
For the full story of the stage, our report on Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 8 covers how the shortened queen stage unfolded. Our Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 9 preview looks ahead to the final day around Saluzzo.
Photo Credit: RCSHow stage 8 was won
Stage 8 had been planned as a 105km mountain stage from Rivoli to Sestriere, built around the Colle delle Finestre and the final climb to Sestriere. Instead, the race was shortened on safety grounds, with the finish moved to the Finestre because of the danger posed by ice on the descent.
That changed the rhythm of the stage. The Finestre was no longer the climb before the final climb. It became the finish itself. The approach still allowed a large breakaway to form, and FDJ United-Suez were active throughout the day, using Célia Gery and Lauren Dickson to make the race hard before Vollering’s final attacks.
The front group was gradually reduced on the climb. By the gravel section, the key GC riders were left fighting directly, with Vollering, Van der Breggen, Niedermaier and Holmgren emerging as the strongest quartet. Holmgren briefly tried to unsettle the group, Niedermaier responded smoothly, and Van der Breggen kept closing the moves with Vollering locked onto the front of the race.
Vollering finally made the difference near the improvised finish, launching through the inside of a hairpin and getting the jump on the group. Holmgren took second, Niedermaier third and Van der Breggen fourth, which left the Giro leader still in control but with her advantage reduced by the stage-winning bonus.
Photo Credit: RCSGiro d’Italia Women 2026 GC after stage 8
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 26:08:24
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, +0:49
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, +1:20
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, +1:55
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, +2:58
- Femke de Vries, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +3:30
- Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE Team ADQ, +3:44
- Niamh Fisher-Black, Lidl-Trek, +4:18
- Urška Žigart, AG Insurance-Soudal, +5:48
- Valentina Cavallar, Team SD Worx-Protime, +6:41
Van der Breggen remains in pink, but Vollering’s stage win has reduced the gap to 49 seconds. It is still a useful margin with only the Saluzzo stage to come, but not one that allows Team SD Worx-Protime to be careless on the final day.
Niedermaier holds third at 1:20, still close enough to keep pressure on Vollering but also needing to watch Holmgren, who remains fourth at 1:55. Holmgren’s ride on the Finestre was one of the most impressive performances of the day, especially given the way she responded to the strongest GC riders on the gravel.
Reusser defended fifth despite being under pressure on the climb, while De Vries moved up to sixth after another strong mountain ride. Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black slipped to seventh and eighth, with Žigart and Cavallar completing the top 10. Monica Trinca Colonel dropped out of the top 10 after losing time on the Finestre.
Photo Credit: RCSPoints classification after stage 8
- Elisa Balsamo, Lidl-Trek, 152 points
- Célia Gery, FDJ United-Suez, 63
- Lara Gillespie, UAE Team ADQ, 60
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, 54
- Chiara Consonni, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 49
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 38
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 33
- Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE Team ADQ, 32
- Lucinda Brand, Lidl-Trek, 31
- Lily Williams, Human Powered Health, 30
Balsamo remains in a dominant position in the points classification. She did not need to feature on the queen stage to keep control of the ciclamino jersey, and her 152-point total still leaves her far clear of the rest.
Gery moves up to second after taking points from the breakaway, continuing a superb final block of the race after her stage 7 victory. Gillespie is now third on 60 points, with Vollering up to fourth after adding the stage win points from the Finestre.
The points classification is now all but settled at the top. Balsamo has built her lead through repeated stage wins and consistency across the first week, and only a major final-day shift would bring the ciclamino jersey back into play.
Photo Credit: RCSMountains classification after stage 8
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez, 45 points
- Anna van der Breggen, Team SD Worx-Protime, 45
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, 26
- Valentina Cavallar, Team SD Worx-Protime, 24
- Lauren Dickson, FDJ United-Suez, 21
- Caroline Andersson, Liv AlUla Jayco, 21
- Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, 21
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, 18
- Nadia Gontova, Liv AlUla Jayco, 8
- Kristen Faulkner, EF Education-Oatly, 8
The mountains classification changed significantly on stage 8. Vollering now leads the blue jersey standings, level on 45 points with Van der Breggen but ahead on countback after winning on the Finestre.
That gives the final stage another layer. The maglia rosa remains the main prize, but the mountains jersey is also still live, especially with stage 9 including Montoso, Colletta di Paesana and Colletta di Brondello.
Holmgren’s second place on the stage also moved her to third in the mountains standings on 26 points, just ahead of Cavallar. Dickson, Andersson and Niedermaier are all tied on 21, meaning the classification is not completely closed if the final stage is raced aggressively.
Photo Credit: RCSYoung rider classification after stage 8
- Isabella Holmgren, Lidl-Trek, 26:10:19
- Lore De Schepper, AG Insurance-Soudal, +5:03
- Viktória Chladonová, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +18:47
- Marion Bunel, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +20:36
- Rosita Reijnhout, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +25:39
- Célia Gery, FDJ United-Suez, +26:01
- Gaia Segato, Vini Fantini-Bepink, +34:11
- Stina Kagevi, EF Education-Oatly, +50:35
- Justyna Czapla, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, +57:07
- Fleur Moors, Lidl-Trek, +1:03:38
Holmgren tightened her grip on the white jersey with another outstanding mountain performance. Finishing second behind Vollering on the Finestre not only protected her young rider lead, it kept her fourth overall and within reach of the podium.
Her gap over De Schepper is now 5:03, which gives her a strong cushion before the final stage. Chladonová moves up to third, ahead of Bunel, while Reijnhout remains fifth, giving Team Visma | Lease a Bike three riders inside the top five of the youth standings.
Gery’s strong final week also continues, with the stage 7 winner now sixth in the white jersey standings. But the competition is firmly in Holmgren’s hands unless something dramatic happens around Saluzzo.
Photo Credit: RCSWhat changed after stage 8?
Vollering gained time, but not enough to take full control of the race. Her stage win cut Van der Breggen’s lead to 49 seconds, which keeps the Giro alive but still leaves the maglia rosa in a strong defensive position.
The biggest GC movement came behind the top four. Reusser stayed fifth, De Vries climbed to sixth, while Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black slipped back after being distanced on the Finestre. Trinca Colonel dropped out of the top 10, with Cavallar moving into 10th after another strong ride for Team SD Worx-Protime.
The mountains jersey also changed hands, with Vollering taking blue from Van der Breggen on countback. Balsamo remains well clear in the points classification, while Holmgren now looks even more secure in white after proving she could match the best climbers on the race’s hardest stage.
What comes next?
Stage 9 starts and finishes in Saluzzo and brings the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 to a close with another difficult hilly stage. It is not as brutal as the planned Sestriere finale, but it still includes Montoso, the Colletta di Paesana and the Colletta di Brondello before the run back to Saluzzo.
Van der Breggen goes into the final day with 49 seconds over Vollering. That means Vollering needs a proper race-changing move rather than another small gain at the finish. The route gives her terrain to attack, but the long run-in after the final climb means any move has to be sustained.
Stage 8 belonged to Vollering, but Van der Breggen still owns the race. One hard day remains.
Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 8 result
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