“She told me she needed a moment to recover” - Antonia Niedermaier reveals crucial Demi Vollering exchange as Giro d’Italia Women title fight turns upside down

The final stage of the Giro d’Italia Women was billed as a Dutch showdown: Anna van der Breggen trying to defend pink, Demi Vollering searching for one last way to rip it away. Then Antonia Niedermaier turned the race into something even more dangerous.

The Canyon//SRAM rider attacked on the road to Saluzzo, linked up with Elisa Longo Borghini and Niamh Fisher-Black, and spent a long spell as the virtual race leader. Vollering eventually overturned the Giro in her own favour, but Niedermaier’s ride changed the shape of the final stage and secured her second overall.

It was the biggest result yet in a Grand Tour career that now looks ready for far more. Niedermaier had already moved into the podium fight after the Stage 4 uphill time trial and strengthened her position through the mountains. On the final day, she stopped defending a place and went after the race itself.

Van der Breggen began the day in pink, with Vollering as the obvious threat at 49 seconds. Niedermaier started third overall, still close enough at 1:20 to become dangerous if the two Dutch rivals watched each other for too long.

That is exactly how the race opened up. After the Montoso and before the final climb, Niedermaier went clear and was joined by Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black. Behind them, Van der Breggen and Vollering were locked into a tactical battle that gave the front group space to build a serious lead.

For a long period, Niedermaier was not simply riding for the podium. She was riding as the virtual Maglia Rosa. “I tried everything I could and I’m pretty happy with the result,” Niedermaier said in her post-stage flash interview. “We played it well, and it was a great Giro.”

The 22-year-old later explained that the decisive move formed almost by instinct after a brief lull in the favourites group. “After the descent, we just kind of sat up,” she said. “We all tried to attack, and somehow I was suddenly alone at the front. Elisa came across, together with Niamh. We were three for a long time, then Demi joined. For us, that was a good scenario.”

Niedermaier’s chance of pink began to fade when Vollering attacked Van der Breggen on the Colletta di Brondello and bridged across alone. Once the FDJ United - SUEZ leader reached the front group, the balance of the Giro shifted again.

Vollering had dropped Van der Breggen and was on her way to completing a stunning final-stage turnaround. Niedermaier’s own path to overall victory narrowed, but second place was suddenly within reach. “She told me she needed a moment to recover and then could work with us,” Niedermaier said of the conversation after Vollering made contact.

From there, the leading group drove towards Saluzzo with the overall race changing behind them. Longo Borghini still had the legs to win the stage, sprinting ahead of Fisher-Black, Niedermaier and Vollering, while Van der Breggen slipped from pink to third overall.

Niedermaier did not contest the sprint as if the stage was her biggest prize. The greater achievement was already secure. “I actually already knew that Elisa would win the stage,” she said. “She was super strong today, and she deserved it.”

Niedermaier finished the Giro second overall, 34 seconds behind Vollering and more than a minute ahead of Van der Breggen. On a day shaped by tactical risk, hesitation and one of the biggest GC swings of the season, she was the rider who first put the race into chaos. “It means a lot to me, especially because I fought so long for this podium,” she said.

The final stage will be remembered for Vollering completing her Grand Tour triple crown and Van der Breggen losing pink, but Niedermaier’s ride deserves its own place in the story. She did not wait for the Dutch favourites to decide the Giro between themselves. She attacked, forced the issue and briefly put the whole race within reach.

For German cycling, this was more than a podium finish. Niedermaier left the Giro as a genuine Grand Tour contender.