Women’s Giro d’Italia 2026: Demi Völlering narrowly wins Queen stage in eight days

Demi Vollering claimed a short queen stage win in the women’s Giro d’Italia on Saturday but admitted it was “the strangest finish line of my life”.

The eighth and final stage was scheduled for a summit finish in Sestriere, but organizers shortened the route by 28 kilometers due to the threat of an unstable slab of ice falling on the route.

Snow was cleared from an avalanche shortly before the riders made their way through the Italian Alps.

Instead the line was quickly moved to a kilometer down the Colle delle Finestra, where FDJ United-Suez’s Volering took victory in a four-way sprint finish.

Pre-race favorite Isabella Holmgren beat Antonia Niedermayer and fellow Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen to claim victory in the second stage of this year’s race.

“It was strange because Finestre was suddenly the final climb,” said the 29-year-old Vollering. “It was the strangest finish line of my life, but I’m very happy to win.”

Team SD Worx-Protime rider van der Breggen retained the pink jersey for the final stage, over 145 kilometers around Saluzzo at the foot of the Alps, with Vollering narrowly reducing the four-time winner’s lead to 49 seconds.

“We hoped we could get closer to the Maglia Rossa today,” Vollering said. “Tomorrow’s stage is not as difficult as today, but we will make a plan and think about how to try to win the Giro.”