DEMI VOLLERING. 10 with honors. She wins her first stage at the Giro d'Italia Women ahead of the pink jersey wearer, that Anna Van der Breggen who was her former teammate, then sports director and now rival. Demi knows that today's stage will be tough and so she asks her FDJ Suez teammates to set a hard pace right from the start: she places two of them up front in the first breakaway of the day while she controls what's happening among the favorites. Around the sixtieth kilometer she makes a first attack followed by several other accelerations until only Van der Breggen, Niedermaier and Holmgren remain. As they approach the finish line, she positions herself at the back of the group, studies the situation and then opens the throttle: victory and second place overall.
ANNA VAN DER BREGGEN. 9. Yesterday's time trial doesn't seem to have left lactic acid in the legs of the SD Worx Protime captain, who can count on a capable Cavalar as support. Anna is always attentive, always jumps on her rivals' wheels and then tries it on the descent in the final kilometers: she knows she doesn't need to take risks as she has the pink jersey and an important advantage to manage.
MONICA TRINCA COLONEL. 8.5. She sends Anderson and Gontova into the breakaway and then, when the group approaches the escapees, she tries it herself and is effectively the first to rejoin them. She tackles the climbs at her own pace, without overdoing it. At minus 30 kilometers, a new opportunity: she launches on the descent and gains an advantage, pedaling ahead of everyone. Then they catch her but what determination: thirteenth at the finish line.
ELISA LONGO BORGHINI. 7. In some moments she seemed to suffer from her rivals' accelerations but she certainly demonstrated, once again, that what matters is using your head; she managed herself well and in the end finished fifth, close to her direct rivals. The Giro is still long.
MARLENE REUSSER 5.5. On a day of continuous changes at the front of the race, she too suffered from the rhythm variations. She was barely visible up front and crossed the finish line with a 53-second deficit. Three positions lost in the general classification.
ISABELLA HOLMGREN. 7.5. White jersey on her shoulders and whenever needed she's right on the heels of the best riders. The 21-year-old Canadian from Lidl Trek has talent and wants to prove it at every opportunity; tenth yesterday, fourth today and meanwhile a nice jump in the general classification that immediately puts her right behind Antonia Niedermaier.
ANTONIA NIEDERMAIER 8. She seems a bit alone, the German from Canyon//Sram, perhaps she would appreciate the support of a teammate but in the meantime she controls as best she can, experience is not lacking. She has already achieved a top-10 finish in the general classification of the 2024 Giro. Today she returns to the hotel with third place on the stage and a position gained in the general classification.