After a super-tough uphill TT on Tuesday that saw Anna van der Breggen stamp her authority on the Giro d’Italia Women, the hits keep coming on Stage 5. The first three days were mostly flat, but now it’s time for the women targeting the GC to duke it out in the mountains.
Stage 5
The 146-kilometre route from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore packs more than 3,300 metres of climbing. It is expected to deliver the first true mountain battle of the race. Riders will barely have a chance to settle into a rhythm as the road continually rises and falls through the Dolomites.
The toughest challenges come in the second half of the stage. First is the Passo Tre Croci, followed by the Passo di Sant’Antonio, two lengthy climbs that could soften up the peloton before the decisive finale.
The riders will then tackle the steep Costa da San Nicolò twice, a punchy ascent averaging around nine per cent and featuring a series of tight switchbacks.
The final passage over the climb crests with just over 16 kilometres remaining. From there, a fast descent leads into a mostly downhill run to the finish.
SD Worx – Protime to defend
Van der Breggen begins the day in the leader’s jersey, but with so much climbing on offer, rivals looking to claw back time will have plenty of opportunities to attack.
On Tuesday, two Canadians did quite well and climbed, figuratively and literally, up the GC. As expected, climber extraordinaire Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) had a great day, finishing in the top 10. So too did Liv AlUla Jayco’s Nadia Gontova, who finished 13th. Magdeleine Vallières-Mill is still very much in the mix, sitting 23rd overall. Will the GC riders let the rainbow jersey up the road, given that she sits about four-and-a-half minutes down on the overall classification? She could definitely snag a stage win.
Scenes from a big TT day 💥#GirodItaliaWomen pic.twitter.com/5Bv25JZq0i
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) June 2, 2026
As for Holmgren, she now holds the white jersey for best young rider. “I did my best effort today so I am really happy with that,” The Oro-Medonte, Ont. rider said. “We’ve had a really good start to the Giro with the team I hope it keeps going up from here. I think holding on to the white jersey would be a nice goal but we just have to see how we’ll play it. There’s still a lot of stages to come and you never know what can happen.”
Gontova recently impressed at La Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, and it’s clear her climbing…
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