Elisa Longo Borghini won the final stage of the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women in Saluzzo, sprinting from the decisive front group after a dramatic day that saw Demi Vollering overhaul Anna van der Breggen to take the overall title. The Italian champion came over Niamh Fisher-Black in the final metres to claim an emotional victory, while Vollering’s relentless attack on the final climb and long chase to the finish completely changed the general classification.
Vollering began the stage still trailing Van der Breggen, but FDJ United-SUEZ raced as though the final day was anything but a procession. After repeated early pressure, the race exploded on the climbs, Antonia Niedermaier briefly looked as though she might be riding into pink, and then Vollering made the decisive move on the Colletta di Brondello. By the finish, Van der Breggen had lost 2:24 and slipped to third overall, with Niedermaier second and Vollering crowned Giro winner.
The final 145-kilometre loop around Saluzzo carried almost 2,100 metres of climbing, with the first-category Montoso, the third-category Colletta di Paesana and the second-category Colletta di Brondello providing more than enough terrain to unsettle the race. The final climb topped out 38.9 kilometres from the finish, but the uphill intermediate sprint at Colletta di Rossana, 24 kilometres from the line, added another tactical layer with bonus seconds still available.
Early speed prevents a break from forming
The stage began with tension already visible in the bunch. Charlotte Kool was a non-starter for Fenix-Premier Tech, and the opening kilometres out of Saluzzo were extremely fast. The first section was slightly downhill, and the average speed briefly reached 60km/h, making it almost impossible for an early breakaway to establish itself.
Several riders tried to get clear, but nothing lasted. There was an early crash involving riders from UAE Team ADQ, Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria, EF Education-Oatly, Vini Fantini-BePink and UNO-X Mobility, adding another nervous moment to a race that had already been shaped by crashes in the previous stages.
A move containing Thalita de Jong, Josie Nelson, Mie Bjørndal Ottestad and Alessia Vigilia did form for a short period, but it was brought back before the first major climb. Kristen Faulkner then abandoned the race for EF Education-Oatly, reducing another team’s options before the decisive terrain began.
With no breakaway ahead, the Montoso climb became a direct confrontation between the GC contenders. SD Worx-Protime led towards the base of the first-category ascent, but FDJ United-SUEZ soon came to the front with a clear plan to isolate Van der Breggen and force the issue early.
Vollering attacks on Montoso
Montoso was always likely to create the first major selection. The climb was 8.9 kilometres long at 9.4 per cent, with the harder gradients coming later, and it began with more than 90 kilometres still to race. Vollering did not wait. FDJ United-SUEZ set the pace, then the Dutch rider attacked early, with Van der Breggen and Longo Borghini immediately following.
The acceleration shredded the bunch from the back. By the top of the climb, only around 10 riders remained in the front group. The group included Vollering and Lauren Dickson for FDJ United-SUEZ, Van der Breggen and Valentina Cavallar for SD Worx-Protime, Longo Borghini, Isabella Holmgren and Fisher-Black for Lidl-Trek, Niedermaier for Canyon SRAM, and Femke de Vries for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with the precise composition shifting during the descent.
Vollering was first over Montoso, extending her lead in the mountains classification and putting herself in position for the blue jersey. But the bigger race was still pink. Van der Breggen had survived the first test, though Cavallar struggled on the technical descent and Reusser, Lore De Schepper and Magdeleine Vallieres were behind the front selection.
Niedermaier move threatens the whole race
The valley section and the Colletta di Paesana created the most dangerous tactical moment of the day. Longo Borghini attacked the favourites’ group, and she was joined by Fisher-Black and Niedermaier. That trio quickly became a serious threat, because Niedermaier had started the day third overall, only 1:20 behind Van der Breggen.
The move forced a tactical stalemate behind. Vollering and Van der Breggen watched each other, each aware that chasing too much might help the other. Niedermaier, Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black drove on, and their lead grew rapidly. At one point, with around 70 kilometres to go, the gap was over 2 minutes on the road and Niedermaier was threatening to take the race from both of the more established favourites.
Fisher-Black had Holmgren behind and did not need to commit fully in the front trio, but Longo Borghini and Niedermaier both had obvious reasons to work. Longo Borghini was still chasing a stage win and GC improvement after a race affected by illness, while Niedermaier had the overall race within reach if the hesitation behind continued.
Van der Breggen held her nerve. She left much of the chasing to Vollering and Dickson, while De Vries sat on once the chasing group caught her. The gap remained around 1:43 for a long spell, making the stage feel like a game of poker with the Giro title being passed virtually between riders depending on who was willing to work.
Colletta di Brondello decides the Giro
The Colletta di Brondello was the final climb of the day and the final climb of the race. It was only 5 kilometres long, but at 7.2 per cent, with the steepest slopes near the top, it was enough to decide the Giro. At the foot of the climb, the Van der Breggen group had slipped to its largest deficit, 1:54 behind the Niedermaier group.
Dickson then produced another huge turn for Vollering, cutting the gap back to 1:20 and briefly putting Van der Breggen back into the virtual lead. But the effort emptied the Scottish rider, and Van der Breggen was forced to take over in the chase group.
Near the top of the climb, Vollering attacked twice and finally distanced Van der Breggen. That was the moment the race turned. Niedermaier led the front trio over the summit, but Vollering had cut the gap to 55 seconds, while Van der Breggen crossed 1:18 behind the leaders and 22 seconds behind Vollering.
The descent was not steep enough to coast. It required power, and Vollering used it. She chased hard, closed quickly on the Niedermaier group, and moved into the virtual race lead as Van der Breggen slipped further behind.
Bonus seconds confirm the swing
Vollering reached the front group and immediately helped drive it. Niedermaier also contributed, while Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black remained present in what had become the stage-winning move. Behind, De Vries caught Van der Breggen and began working with her, but the deficit had already grown beyond the point where the maglia rosa looked salvageable.
The uphill intermediate sprint at Colletta di Rossana added another blow. Vollering took 6 bonus seconds, while Niedermaier took 2. Van der Breggen was 1:24 behind at that point, and to guarantee overall victory she needed to finish within 33 seconds of Vollering, a gap that no longer looked possible.
From there, Vollering rode as though the title was hers to seize rather than defend. She drove the front group through Busca and into the final 20 kilometres, increasing the gap to Van der Breggen. With 15 kilometres to go, the former race leader was 1:48 behind. At 10 kilometres to go, the gap had grown to 2:12.
The final kilometres were mostly downhill before a flatter final 200 metres. The stage victory was still open, but the overall race had been settled by Vollering’s refusal to stop pressing after making contact with the front group.
Longo Borghini wins the stage
Inside the final 5 kilometres, the front group began to think about the stage win. Fisher-Black started to miss turns, clearly looking for her chance in the sprint, while Longo Borghini also shortened her efforts as the finish approached.
The finish was relatively straightforward but still had a roundabout 800 metres from the line and a 90-degree left-hand bend 200 metres out. Vollering did one more huge turn inside the final kilometre, still focused on the overall. Fisher-Black launched long, but Longo Borghini came over the top in the final metres to take the stage win.
It was a deeply emotional victory for the defending champion, who had spent much of the spring fighting illness and had come into the Giro still short of her best. She had used the week intelligently, fought for seconds where possible, and then found the strength and timing to win on the final day.
Behind the front group, De Vries won the sprint for fifth place, finishing 2:24 behind the stage winner with Van der Breggen on her wheel. That was enough for Van der Breggen to finish third overall, but not enough to save the maglia rosa.
Vollering wins after daring to lose
Vollering’s overall victory came from a stage where she and FDJ United-SUEZ accepted the risk of losing everything. They had tried to force the race from the first major climb, put riders to work early, used Dickson brilliantly, and then allowed Niedermaier’s move to create pressure on Van der Breggen before Vollering delivered the decisive attack herself.
That was the difference between defending a podium and winning the race. Vollering had already won stages 5 and 8, but stage 9 was the ride that turned her Giro into overall victory. She attacked on Montoso, kept the race alive when Niedermaier went clear, used Dickson’s work on Brondello, then dropped Van der Breggen and chased across on the descent and valley roads.
Van der Breggen had defended superbly for most of the race. She won the Nevegal time trial, survived the Finestre, and limited the damage through repeated pressure, but the final day finally cracked that resistance. Niedermaier briefly looked like the rider who might steal the race, Longo Borghini took the stage, and Vollering took the Giro.
It was the kind of final stage the Giro d’Italia Women deserved, tense, aggressive and tactically messy until the strongest rider finally forced clarity. Vollering did not wait for the race to fall into her hands. She gambled, chased, attacked and rode herself into pink on the final day.
Giro d’Italia Women 2026 stage 9 result
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Giro d’Italia Women 2026 GC result
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Main photo credit: Getty
