06.06.2026 World-Tour, News, Race news

ANOTHER THIRD FOR ANTONIA ON GC-SHAPING GIRO DAY

From an identical four-rider group to the one that contested the finish of a mountainous stage 5, Antonia Niedermaier claimed another third place on a modified stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia Women.

Originally, after tackling one of Italian cycling’s most iconic and unforgiving ascents, a fast and technical descent would have led into a further 16km of gradual climbing towards Sestriere.

The mighty Colle delle Finestre – 18.1km at an average gradient of 9.3% – was always destined to be a decisive battleground in this year’s nine-day fight for the pink leaders jersey.

It still was, but disappointingly, opportunities for top contenders to truly expose one another’s weaknesses were cut short. With just over 8km remaining on the climb, it was announced that the stage would be shortened due to unstable ice near the summit. Instead of cresting the climb at over 2100m, the finish line was moved to a point 1km from the top, removing the prospect of racing beyond the summit for another 27km.

From the moment news broke, there was no time to waste. As the leading group simultaneously hit gravel – the final 8km of the Finestre being unpaved – Antonia immediately applied pressure from the front. Shortly after, Vollering (TFS) took over, gradually reducing the group to the same four riders who had battled together three days earlier.

The quartet rode strongly with the effort evenly spread, each rider injecting surges while simultaneously neutralising any attempts to gain an advantage. Wearing the maglia rosa, van der Breggen (SDW) then took over pacing duties inside the final kilometre as she looked to protect her overall lead.

Complicating matters further, the last-minute course adjustment left riders uncertain of the exact location for an improvised finish line. It was Vollering who was first to launch in search of it, accelerating out of a hairpin bend and opening a comfortable gap. Behind her, Holmgren (LTK) edged out Antonia in a tight gravel tussle for second place, the 23-year-old German crossing the line in third.

Here’s what Antonia had to say about the unusual day:

“I mean, I’m a little bit sad that we couldn’t finish the stage because I really would have liked to do the whole course. But, it is what it is, so I think I’m happy with it.

On Finestre, I was just in the wheels of FDJ. They paced the climb all the way to the gravel section, but then I was told in the radio that the race would end 1km from the top because of ice-fall risk. So, I was a little bit confused, but tried to adapt quickly. It was a hard pace on the gravel and it was also quite hard to attack there, so I was still just following. I think it was a really hard stage, and the shortened distance didn’t change the outcome too much.”

Although the course alteration inevitably overshadowed both the racing and the result, it was another hugely impressive performance from Antonia. She retained third place overall, further underlining her credentials as one of the strongest stage racers in the women’s peloton.

She now sits 1:20 minutes behind race leader van der Breggen, while Vollering occupies second place at 50 seconds. Looking back, Antonia maintains a 35-second advantage over Holmgren in fourth, with Reusser (5th) a further 1:05 minutes back.

With stage 8 ultimately falling short of expectations, tomorrow’s final day could prove even more fiercely contested. Featuring the formidable Montoso climb (9km at 9.6%), stage 9 offers up a dangerous launchpad for GC contenders with unfinished business. For many, there is little to lose and plenty still to fight for. Additional category 2 and 3 climbs should further encourage aggressive, unpredictable racing all the way to the flat finish in Saluzzo.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live coverage is available on TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, FloBikes, SBS, RAI and other national broadcasters. Follow the race each day on X using #GirodItaliaWomen and #UCIWWT, and stay updated with CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto via our social channels.

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