Elisa Balsamo turned a turbulent opening weekend at the Giro d’Italia Women into a perfect one for Lidl-Trek, winning stage 2 in Caorle while wearing the maglia rosa. The Italian had been promoted to the stage 1 victory after Lorena Wiebes was disqualified for a bike-weight infringement, then backed up that unexpected race lead with a sprint win of her own on the 156-kilometre stage from Roncade.
Lara Gillespie finished second for UAE Team ADQ, with Chiara Consonni third for Canyon SRAM after another fast and tightly contested bunch sprint. Charlotte Kool was also involved in the final launch, opening early from further back, but Balsamo came through from Gillespie’s slipstream inside the final 200 metres and edged ahead before the line.
It was a very different kind of victory from the one Balsamo had inherited the previous evening. Stage 1 had ended with Wiebes first across the line in Ravenna, only for the SD Worx-Protime rider to be removed from the race after officials found her bike below the 6.8kg minimum weight. That decision gave Balsamo the first maglia rosa. Stage 2 allowed her to win in it, in front of an Italian crowd, with the sprint train working when it mattered most.
Early breakaway shapes the road to Caorle
The stage started in Roncade without Wiebes in the race and with Balsamo now wearing pink. That changed the tactical shape immediately. The fastest sprinter from stage 1 was gone, Lidl-Trek had a race lead to defend, and several other teams suddenly had a clearer path to a stage win.
The day’s breakaway formed early with Eleonora La Bella of Aromitalia Vaiano, Elisa De Vallier and Sara Luccon of Top Girls Fassa Bortolo. Giorgia Serena, Fariba Hashimi and Josie Nelson formed a chase group behind them, but they never made contact with the front trio and were later caught on the day’s only classified climb, the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio.
The front group built a useful advantage and was more than 6 minutes clear after the first hour. That was enough to give the escapees a proper spell at the head of the Giro, but the peloton never allowed the move to become a serious threat. By the time the race reached the climb, the gap had already been brought back to around 2 minutes.
La Bella made the most of the opportunity, cresting the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio first to secure the first mountains jersey of the race. In a Giro where the main climbing days are still to come, it was a valuable early prize for Aromitalia Vaiano and a reward for committing to the breakaway.
Lidl-Trek and Movistar bring the sprint back into play
After the hilly mid-section, the race turned towards the flatter roads leading to Caorle. The peloton allowed the break’s advantage to stretch out again briefly, but by the final 30 kilometres the chase had become more organised.
Lidl-Trek had responsibility because Balsamo was in pink and had a clear chance of defending the jersey. Movistar also contributed, with Arlenis Sierra still an option for the sprint after the team had lost Cat Ferguson to her stage 1 abandon. The combined pressure quickly ate into the break’s advantage.
The catch came with 14 kilometres remaining, setting up the expected sprint finish. From there, the race became a positioning contest, with the sprint teams trying to keep their fast riders close enough to the front while still saving something for the final kilometre.
UAE Team ADQ looked particularly well placed. Elisa Longo Borghini, the defending champion, moved to the front before a roundabout with 3.8 kilometres to go and then spent more than 2 kilometres helping to drive the peloton for Gillespie. It was a strong show of commitment from the team, and it put the Irish rider into exactly the kind of position she needed.
Balsamo brought forward at the perfect moment
Balsamo was not always visible near the front in the final kilometres. That could have become a problem, but Lidl-Trek timed the move well. Lucinda Brand brought her forward with around 1.5 kilometres remaining, then led the peloton into the final kilometre.
UAE Team ADQ still had riders in position, with Silvia Persico and Eleonora Gasparrini helping to guide the race onto the finishing straight. Gillespie and Balsamo both hesitated slightly as the sprint began to form, allowing Sierra to take Persico’s wheel. Margaux Vigié then started her lead-out, with Sierra and Consonni jumping onto it.
Kool launched a long sprint from around eighth position, trying to come through before the rest could fully organise. Gillespie went almost at the same moment from Vigié’s wheel, briefly looking as though she might have enough speed to take the stage.
Balsamo waited just long enough. She came out of Gillespie’s slipstream at around 200 metres, kept accelerating as Kool began to fade, and moved into the lead inside the final 80 metres. Gillespie held on for second after a close finish with Consonni, but Balsamo had done enough to win in pink.
Balsamo extends her race lead
The win strengthened Balsamo’s hold on the maglia rosa and gave Lidl-Trek control of the race for at least one more day. After being awarded stage 1 without the finish-line celebration, this was the confirmation she wanted, a sprint victory earned directly on the road.
It also tightened her grip on the points classification. With Wiebes gone and Gillespie, Consonni and Kool now the clearest sprint rivals still in the race, Balsamo’s consistency across the opening two days has given her a useful buffer. The Italian now goes into the hillier stage 3 with a 20-second margin over most of the peloton.
For Gillespie, second place was another strong result after her podium promotion from stage 1. UAE Team ADQ again looked committed to sprint success, and their lead-out was one of the most convincing of the finale. Consonni’s third place keeps Canyon SRAM close in the early classifications, while Kool’s long sprint showed intent even if the final metres did not fall her way.
The GC contenders avoided trouble on another day made for fast finishers. Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini, Anna van der Breggen, Marlen Reusser and the other overall riders reached the finish without the race being split apart, leaving the general classification still shaped mainly by bonuses and the fallout from Wiebes’ disqualification.
The first two days have already given this Giro an unusual storyline. Wiebes crossed the line first in Ravenna but left the race that evening. Balsamo inherited pink, then made sure there was nothing provisional about her place at the front by winning the next sprint herself.
Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 2 result
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