"This second place is a nice way to end the week" – Anna van der Breggen reflects on mixed Giro d’Italia Women

Anna van der Breggen closed out the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women with a podium finish on the final stage and a sixth-place overall result, in an overall mixed with the former winner. Although she didn’t contend for the pink jersey, the SD Worx – Protime rider left Italy with a sense of progress and perspective.

“This second place is a great way to end the week,” Van der Breggen said on her team’s website after finishing just behind Liane Lippert in Imola.

The finale carried personal significance. Imola was the site of her 2020 World Championship win, and racing there again brought memories flooding back.

“It was special to race back in Imola. On the first lap, I recognised a lot of things. It was a bit like, oh yes, that’s how it was... I reminded myself of that today as well. It’s a course that suits me. If I could stay with the group, I had a chance.”

While Van der Breggen couldn’t repeat her past triumphs, she came close. In the final kilometers, with no teammates left and Movistar riding for Marlen Reusser, she made a move.

“In the end, I was left alone in the leading group... I wanted to give it a try on this special course. Of course, having Liane Lippert on my wheel wasn’t ideal... I thought: you never know, she might make a mistake in the sprint (laughs). But of course, that didn’t happen.”

The Dutch rider also praised the efforts of teammates Lorena Wiebes and Mikayla Harvey, who tried to make a break stick in the final stage.

“The final stage... went really well with Lorena Wiebes and Mikayla Harvey on the attack. Unfortunately, the breakaway was about twenty seconds short... I would have loved to see Miki fight for the win. She worked really hard all week.”

Van der Breggen admitted the overall result wasn’t what the team hoped for, finishing 3:32 behind winner Elisa Longo Borghini. Still, she sees signs of momentum as she looks ahead to the next big goal, where she will look to take on Demi Vollering at the Tour de France Femmes later this summer.

“Of course, we had hoped for more in the general classification. Hopefully this was the incentive I needed with a view to the Tour de France Femmes... Now I’m flying home and the next few days will be all about recovery and rest.”