Results Giro d’Italia Women 2026 Stage 6 - Elisa Balsamo powers to fourth stage win after technical Brescello finale

Elisa Balsamo continued her remarkable Giro d’Italia Women run on Stage 6, sprinting to victory in Brescello after a flat day that briefly threatened to turn into something far more complicated.

The Lidl - Trek sprinter came into the finale with only Lucinda Brand left as her final lead-out rider, but that proved enough. Brand produced a long pull through the twisting final kilometre, keeping Balsamo in position before the Italian opened her sprint and finished it off with clear authority.

Balsamo now has four stage victories on the official results sheet at this Giro, although the first came after Lorena Wiebes’ Stage 1 expulsion. Since then, the Italian has won Stages 2, 3 and 6 on the road, confirming herself as the dominant sprinter of the race.

The 160km route from Ala to Brescello had looked like a straightforward chance for the fast finishers, but the day was not entirely calm. A four-rider Italian break formed early, with Camilla Bezzone, Sharon Spimi, Gaia Segato and Cagnazzo moving clear. Their advantage reached around four minutes before the peloton began to bring the stage back under control.

The main disruption came when Uno-X suddenly lifted the pace and split the peloton into several groups. Maglia Rosa Anna van der Breggen made the front group, but Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser were caught behind as the race briefly broke apart.

The gaps never became decisive, but the move forced an immediate response. UAE Team ADQ took over at the front after the Uno-X acceleration, while Movistar led the chase from the Reusser group and eventually brought the peloton back together.

That pressure also ended the early breakaway earlier than expected. Once the bunch reformed, Balsamo took maximum points and six bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, strengthening her grip on the points classification before the run-in to Brescello.

Giorgia Serena later tried to disrupt the expected sprint with a solo move when the pace dropped, opening a gap of around a minute with 12km remaining. The peloton responded quickly once the sprint teams organised, and she was caught before the final approach into town.

The finale itself had been flagged as awkward, with four corners inside the final kilometre. UAE Team ADQ moved up for Lara Gillespie, while Elisa Longo Borghini also worked through the final kilometres. Movistar briefly turned the wrong way inside the final kilometre after the right-hand bend, but Balsamo remained well positioned in fifth wheel.

Brand then took over and carried Balsamo deep into the sprint. When Balsamo launched, there was no real contest, giving Lidl - Trek another stage win and extending the Italian’s outstanding opening week.

Van der Breggen finished safely in the bunch to retain the Maglia Rosa ahead of the decisive final weekend.