Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Lorena Wibbs was disqualified from the women’s Giro d’Italia A bike weight violation, hours after winning the opening stage.
The Dutch woman, riding for Team SD Worx-Protime, sealed the first Maglia Rossa – the leader’s pink jersey – of this year’s race by pipping Italian Elisa Balsamo and Irish rider Lara Gillespie to the finish line in Ravenna.
But in a statement on Saturday night, race organizers said that 27-year-old Wiebbes, who won the Giro points classification in 2025, had been kicked out of the race for “using a bicycle not in compliance with the rules, in particular failing to meet the minimum weight requirements”.
Lidl-Trek’s Balsamo was awarded the stage win and will start the second stage in the Maglia Rossa on Sunday.
Canyon-Srum rider Chiara Consoni took the podium behind Gillespie.
Balsamo said: “Of course, it’s not the way I want to win but it’s the jury’s decision.
“In any case, it’s an honor to wear the Maglia Rosa and I’m looking forward to trying to defend it on stage tomorrow.”
The 139 km opening stage from Cesenatico, which ended with three laps of the 13.2 km city circuit, featured multiple crashes.
This included one after just 35km, which forced Movistar’s British rider Cat Ferguson to abandon the race.
His team later said the 20-year-old, making his Giro debut, was taken to hospital for medical assessment.
Sunday’s second stage – 156 kilometers between Roncade and Caorle – will again suit the sprinters.
