Results Giro d’Italia Women 2026 Stage 1 - Lorena Wiebes takes first pink jersey as Cat Ferguson abandons on crash-marred opening day

Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory on Stage 1 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women, taking the first maglia rosa in Ravenna after a crash-hit opening day that forced British talent Cat Ferguson out of the race.

The SD Worx - Protime sprinter was the clear favourite on the flat 139km stage from Cesenatico and delivered in the final straight, launching her sprint after a late lead-out from Barbara Guarischi. Wiebes crossed the line first in 3:15:37, with Elisa Balsamo second for Lidl - Trek and Lara Gillespie third for UAE Team ADQ.

It was another reminder of Wiebes’ finishing power on a day built for the fastest riders in the bunch. The opener featured only around 200 metres of climbing and always looked likely to end in a sprint, although the road to Ravenna was far from stress-free.

Before the finale, the day’s early break came from three Italian riders. Valeria Curnis of Isolmant - Premac - Vittoria, Sharon Spimi of Top Girls Fassa Bortolo and Sofia Arici of Vini Fantini - BePink moved clear after a calm start in hot conditions, with their advantage rising towards four minutes.

Ilaria Marinetto briefly tried to bridge across alone, but her counter-attack stalled between the break and the peloton. The bunch kept the situation under control and gradually reduced the gap before catching the leaders ahead of the Ravenna finishing circuit.

The main drama of the stage came well before the sprint. A large crash in the peloton on a long, straight road brought down several riders and hit Movistar particularly hard.

Ferguson was the biggest casualty. The British rider remained down after the fall and later abandoned, ending her Giro d’Italia Women on the opening stage. Movistar still moved back to the front of the peloton late on, but their sprint option had already been taken out of the race.

The final laps in Ravenna were nervous, with the peloton moving at high speed through narrow city streets. The bunch had a first look at the finishing straight before the final lap, but the closing kilometres still lacked full organisation as teams fought for position.

Justine Ghekiere was also distanced in the closing phase after struggling with the pace, starting the last lap well behind the peloton. At the front, the fight for position intensified inside the final five kilometres, with Anna van der Breggen also contributing to SD Worx - Protime’s work for Wiebes.

Inside the final kilometre, Wiebes and Balsamo were both well placed. Lidl - Trek had Lucinda Brand near the front, while AG Insurance - Soudal were also visible in the final run-in, but SD Worx - Protime timed the decisive move best.

Guarischi guided Wiebes into position, and once the Dutch sprinter opened up on the final straight, she had enough speed to hold off Balsamo and claim the first leader’s jersey of the race.

The Giro d’Italia Women continues on Sunday with Stage 2 from Roncade to Caorle, another flat stage likely to give the sprinters a second chance.