Elisa Balsamo continued her remarkable Giro d’Italia Women with a fourth stage victory of the race, sprinting to win stage 6 in Brescello after a long, tense day that carried the peloton out of the hills and onto the Po Valley. The Lidl-Trek rider came around Maggie Coles-Lyster in the final metres after a superb lead-out from Lucinda Brand, adding another win to an already dominant opening week.
Coles-Lyster finished second for Human Powered Health after opening her sprint early, while Georgia Baker took third for Liv AlUla Jayco. It was a finish shaped by positioning as much as speed, with the final 1.2 kilometres twisting through narrow streets, six tight turns and a final narrowing drag to the line.
The 160-kilometre stage from Ala to Brescello was the longest of the race and came immediately after the hardest mountain day so far. On paper, it looked like a sprinters’ stage, with only 657 metres of climbing and a final 60 kilometres that included barely 100 metres of vertical ascent. In practice, the wind, narrow streets, exposed roads and late technical run-in made it far less straightforward.
Four Italian riders go clear early
The race began with just 3.9 kilometres of neutralised riding before the flag dropped in Ala. The route still began in the hills, but the general direction was downhill towards Lake Garda and then the wide flat roads of the Po Valley. With the overall race past its halfway point and many riders carrying fatigue from the Dolomites, the early pattern formed quickly.
A four-rider break went clear almost immediately. Camilla Bezzone of Mendelspeck E-Work, Sharon Spimi of Top Girls Fassa Bortolo, Gaia Segato of Vini Fantini-BePink and Irene Cagnazzo, also of Vini Fantini-BePink, built a lead of more than 1 minute inside the opening kilometres.
All four riders were Italian, representing three of the Italian Continental teams in the race. Spimi had already been up the road on stage 1, while Mendelspeck E-Work had also been aggressive through the opening week. With Segato the closest rider on GC at more than 23 minutes down, SD Worx-Protime had little reason to take responsibility for the chase.
The gap quickly moved towards 3 minutes as the race descended towards Riva del Garda and the eastern shore of the lake. Once on the lakeside road, the stage became scenic but not completely simple. The narrow sections and tunnels along Lake Garda meant the peloton still had to stay alert, even while the sprint teams allowed the break to sit around 4 minutes clear.
Sprint teams control the lake road
Fenix-Premier Tech and Lidl-Trek were the most obvious teams managing the peloton through the middle part of the day. Charlotte Kool’s team had clear interest in a sprint, while Balsamo’s Lidl-Trek were never far from the front as they looked to keep the red jersey and another stage win in play.
The break’s advantage held around 4 minutes for a long spell. The stage had very little climbing, but its placement made it awkward. Coming the day after the Dolomite battle to Santo Stefano di Cadore, the longest stage of the Giro had the potential to punish any rider who had not recovered properly.
There was also the question of wind. The Po Valley was expected to bring exposed roads and possible crosswind tension, though the breeze was not consistently strong enough to split the race by itself. Teams still rode as if danger was close. Anna van der Breggen stayed near the front in the maglia rosa, protected by SD Worx-Protime, while Movistar, FDJ United-SUEZ, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and several sprint teams hovered around the front before the race dropped onto the plain.
The break still had 3:39 with 80 kilometres remaining, then 3:10 with 70 kilometres to go. The bunch had the move under control, but the road was about to change.
Crosswinds and narrow roads put Reusser under pressure
The approach to Volta Mantovana brought the first real alarm. The roads narrowed, the surface worsened, and the descent through the village included tight bends and steep negative gradients. UNO-X Mobility lifted the pace, SD Worx-Protime moved up, and the bunch began to stretch.
Once the race reached the plain, the crosswind threat became more immediate. The break’s lead fell to around 2 minutes, and the peloton split under pressure. Van der Breggen moved to the front of the leading group and drove the pace, putting Demi Vollering in the second group and leaving Marlen Reusser in an even more difficult position behind.
Vollering’s group quickly regained contact, but Reusser and Movistar had to work much harder. The Swiss rider, already under pressure in the GC after stage 5, found herself in a large group around 30 seconds behind. Reusser did much of the work herself, even with teammates on the wheel, and eventually helped close the gap with assistance from Human Powered Health and Movistar.
The break was caught during that period of crosswind pressure, just as the main groups came back together. The moment did not create a lasting GC split, but it showed why Van der Breggen and SD Worx-Protime had spent so much of the day riding close to the front. On a stage that looked like one for sprinters, the general classification riders still had to stay sharp.
Balsamo takes sprint points as GC teams test the wind
With the race back together, attention turned to the intermediate sprint at Ospitaletto with 39.8 kilometres remaining. There were bonus seconds available, and FDJ United-SUEZ appeared interested in positioning Vollering for a possible time gain. SD Worx-Protime were also present, but the wind made the approach awkward.
Balsamo was alive to both the points and the positioning. Lidl-Trek placed her well, and she took the sprint ahead of Femke Gerritse and Nienke Veenhoven. The result strengthened Balsamo’s grip on the points competition and prevented the GC riders from using the sprint to make any meaningful dent in Van der Breggen’s advantage.
The road then turned back into crosswind territory, but the tree-lined sections and shelter from buildings prevented the bunch from splitting properly. The peloton calmed briefly, with Movistar, FDJ United-SUEZ, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Fenix-Premier Tech and Human Powered Health all sharing space near the front.
A bunch sprint now looked likely, but the final 20 kilometres still had enough complexity to encourage a late move.
Serena attacks before the technical finish
Giorgia Serena made the late attempt, attacking for Mendelspeck E-Work just inside the final 20 kilometres. It was an ambitious move on a day that had always looked likely to end in a sprint, but she quickly built a useful gap as the peloton hesitated.
Serena’s lead grew to around 50 seconds, then briefly touched 1 minute. With the bunch still thinking about the technical finish and the crossing of the Po, there was a moment where the move gave the sprint teams a real task.
The 10-kilometre mark brought a tight left-hand turn onto the bridge across the river, effectively beginning the finale. From there, the lead came down quickly. UNO-X Mobility, EF Education-Oatly and Human Powered Health increased the pace, bringing Serena back as the bunch crossed towards Brescello.
Once Serena was caught, the sprint teams began fighting for position. The final 6 kilometres included a key left turn off the main road and under it, before another important positioning point at 2.5 kilometres. The most technical part came inside the final 1.2 kilometres, where the race left the wide roads and entered the narrow town streets.
Brand delivers Balsamo through the chaos
The final kilometres were a mass of teams trying to reach the narrow section first. Fenix-Premier Tech were visible for Kool, Liv AlUla Jayco were well placed for Baker, UAE Team ADQ arrived in numbers for Lara Gillespie, and Human Powered Health were positioned for Coles-Lyster. FDJ United-SUEZ came forward too, with Vollering working for Ally Wollaston, while Van der Breggen stayed close to the front on SD Worx-Protime wheels.
Inside the final 1.2 kilometres, the road changed completely. Six tight turns came in quick succession, the last at around 400 metres to go. Even after that, the road curved to the right and only straightened properly inside the final 200 metres, where it narrowed again.
That made the lead-out decisive. Lucinda Brand took control for Balsamo and produced one of the strongest final-kilometre rides of the Giro so far. The cyclo-cross world champion led the maglia rosa through the tight streets, holding position through the corners and keeping Balsamo out of trouble.
There was a crash on one of the late bends, but Brand kept Balsamo clear of the disruption. Into the final kilometre, she was still in control, guiding the Italian through the narrowing roads and setting her up for the sprint.
Balsamo comes around Coles-Lyster
Coles-Lyster opened first for Human Powered Health, launching long as Brand finally dropped off Balsamo. It was a brave move and briefly looked like it might catch the favourites off guard, but Balsamo had been delivered too well and still had the speed to finish the job.
The Italian came around Coles-Lyster in the final metres and took her fourth stage win of the Giro. After losing the maglia rosa on the Nevegal time trial, Balsamo had already shifted back into points-classification mode, and this was another demonstration that she remains the strongest sprinter left in the race.
Coles-Lyster held on for second, a strong result after Human Powered Health had worked hard through both the crosswind section and the finale. Baker finished third for Liv AlUla Jayco, confirming another good sprinting display from a team that had positioned well in the final kilometres.
For the GC contenders, the day ended without time gaps at the finish, but it had not been quiet. Van der Breggen stayed alert in pink, Vollering was briefly caught behind during the crosswind pressure before returning, and Reusser had to spend valuable energy closing a split. On paper, stage 6 was a sprint stage. On the road, it was a reminder that the Giro can still create stress even without major climbs.
Balsamo’s fourth stage win was the headline, but the route made her earn it. The breakaway forced a controlled chase, the Po Valley threatened echelons, Serena made a bold late bid, and the narrow Brescello finale placed huge value on Brand’s lead-out. Once the road opened just enough for a sprint, Balsamo again had the final answer.
Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 6 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
