02.06.2026 World-Tour, News, Race news

ANTONIA CLIMBS TO IMPRESSIVE 4TH IN GIRO TIME TRIAL

Ever the consistent performer, especially when the road tilts up, Antonia Niedermaier powered to an impressive fourth place on stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia Women, a brutal time trial that required both careful pacing and pure climbing strength.

Starting in the mountain town of Belluno, the 12.7km route featured 5km of gently rolling roads before arriving at the foot of a relentless 7km category-one ascent averaging 10%, with sections ramping up above 14%.

The gradients eased slightly over the final 2km towards the ski resort of Nevegal, where the first significant gaps in the general classification (GC) were set to be carved out.

Antonia began the day 13th overall, while Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig sat 23rd. Both riders shared the same time as those placed from second through to 33rd, a consequence of the large bunch finishes that had characterised the opening three stages.

The intermediate time-check came at the 7km mark where Antonia posted the fourth-fastest split, 34 seconds behind eventual stage winner van der Breggen (SDW), taken just before the road began to steeply rise. Through the forested switchbacks of the climb to Nevegal, Antonia continued to judge her effort superbly, climbing strongly and consistently to stop the clock at 33:04 minutes.

The 23-year-old German finished just 22 seconds behind second-placed Reusser (MOV), as van der Breggen delivered an astonishing ride to win the stage by over one minute. Vollering (TFS) completed the podium, 16 seconds ahead of Antonia. Cecilie produced a strong ride of her own, finishing 15th with a time of 34:32 minutes.

In her first season outside of the young rider classification, Antonia more than held her own against a field of seasoned campaigners, leaping up into fourth overall while gaining time on other potential rivals. Here’s how she reflected on her ride, and the final result:

“For sure, fourth is always a little bit disappointing because you want to be on the podium, but I think that overall, I’m pretty happy. The others were just stronger and I think that I still did a super good race, so can be proud of the result.

I had no ‘downs’ and was quite steady throughout – I could really push it on the climb and also in the first section where it was more flat. I managed the ride well and could find a good rhythm, so I think I did a really good time trial.

It was good to finally test my legs after the first three stages that were more or less flat, and I’m really happy that we’re now coming into the climbs!”

While a time trial represents racing at its most maximal intensity, stage 5 sees a different but equally demanding challenge. The 146km route packs in more than 3300m of elevation gain as the race ventures deeper into the Dolomites, where a series of taxing alpine ascents await.

A steep, switchback-laden climb (2.7km at 9.8%) will be tackled twice inside the final 40km before a fast run to the finish in the valley below. It will be another important day for the GC contenders, with opportunities to test both their legs and their rivals. Here is how Antonia sees it:

“I think that tomorrow’s course is super hard. I did a recon of the last part, and I think that it will be a tough battle with a lot of dropped riders. I can see a small group of GC riders and climbers going to the line, but there also might be an opportuntiy for a breakaway, so I think it’s quite an open day. It depends on how the GC riders react, and also how Longo Borghini (UAD) rides, because she lost some time in the GC today. I’m quite curious to see how it plays out, but I know it will be brutal.”

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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