Results Giro d’Italia Women 2026 - Demi Vollering completes Grand Tour triple crown after final-stage ambush as Elisa Longo Borghini wins Stage 9

Demi Vollering completed her women’s Grand Tour triple crown in spectacular fashion at the Giro d’Italia Women, overturning Anna van der Breggen’s Maglia Rosa on the final stage after a dramatic long-range battle around Saluzzo.

The FDJ - SUEZ leader began the day one minute behind Van der Breggen, but the final mountain stage was never allowed to settle. After Antonia Niedermaier briefly threatened to turn the race on its head, Vollering made the decisive move on the Colletta di Brondello, distanced Van der Breggen and joined the front group before riding into the virtual race lead.

Elisa Longo Borghini won the stage from the leading group, outsprinting Niamh Fisher-Black, Niedermaier and Vollering in Saluzzo. But the main story belonged to Vollering, who added Giro d’Italia Women victory to her previous Tour de France Femmes and Vuelta Espana Femenina triumphs, completing the set in the same season that Jonas Vingegaard achieved the men’s equivalent by winning the Giro d’Italia.

Van der Breggen had looked in control after surviving the shortened Finestre stage on Saturday, but the final day quickly became far more dangerous than a simple defence of pink. The Montoso came early as the hardest climb of the stage, with SD Worx - Protime moving up before the ascent and FDJ - SUEZ beginning to apply pressure for Vollering.

Vollering made her first attack on the Montoso, but Van der Breggen and Longo Borghini reacted immediately. The move did not distance the Maglia Rosa, although the pace still shredded the peloton and reduced the favourites group to a small elite selection.

Marlen Reusser struggled on the climb and was forced to ride at her own rhythm behind, while Van der Breggen remained in the front group with team-mate Valentina Cavallar. Vollering still had Lauren Dickson alongside her, and Niedermaier stayed close enough to remain a major threat to the overall standings.

The race changed after the Montoso when Niedermaier attacked and drew out Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black. With Niedermaier starting the day third overall at 1:24, the three-rider move quickly became a direct threat to Van der Breggen’s race lead.

As the gap grew, Niedermaier briefly moved into the virtual Maglia Rosa. Van der Breggen held her nerve behind, but the danger was obvious. FDJ - SUEZ tried to force movement through Dickson, while Vollering waited for the final climb to make the attack that decided the Giro.

On the steepest section of the Colletta di Brondello, Vollering accelerated clear of Van der Breggen. The gap quickly opened to around 12 seconds, then grew further towards the top. By the summit, Vollering had also secured the mountains classification, becoming the first rider to win the mountains jersey in all three women’s Grand Tours. Her real target was still pink.

Vollering descended and chased across to Longo Borghini, Fisher-Black and Niedermaier, while Van der Breggen was left behind with Femke de Vries. Once Vollering reached the front, the balance of the race changed completely.

At the intermediate sprint on the Colletta di Rossana, Vollering took six bonus seconds, strengthening her virtual lead. Niedermaier did not contest the sprint, despite having been close to the overall lead earlier in the stage, and the front group continued towards Saluzzo with the Giro increasingly slipping away from Van der Breggen.

Inside the final 10km, the lead group had more than two minutes in hand over Van der Breggen’s chase. Vollering no longer needed the stage win to complete the overall turnaround, but Longo Borghini still had a chance to rescue a major victory from her Giro after a difficult GC week.

The four leaders stayed together into the final kilometre. Longo Borghini proved strongest in the sprint, taking the stage ahead of Fisher-Black, Niedermaier and Vollering. Behind them, Van der Breggen’s final-day collapse confirmed the change of Maglia Rosa.

Vollering’s Giro had swung from damage limitation after the Nevegal time trial to outright victory by the final afternoon. She had lost more than a minute to Van der Breggen on Stage 4, hit back with wins on Stage 5 and the shortened queen stage on Stage 8, then completed the comeback with one last attack on the road to Saluzzo.

Van der Breggen’s return to pink had looked like one of the stories of the race. Vollering turned the final day into something bigger, completing her Grand Tour set with an ambush that reshaped the Giro in its final kilometres.