The chess on wheels at the Giro d’Italia Women took a wild turn on the road to Salice Terme, delivering a payoff for FDJ United-SUEZ and a breakthrough victory for a rising star. After a long-range breakaway featuring Alison Jackson was reeled in on the 7.9-kilometer Pietragavina climb, FDJ United-SUEZ split the race apart on the subsequent descent, with Demi Vollering forcing a split. Her 20-year-old teammate, reigning junior world champion Célia Gery, moved ahead to support Vollering but slid ahead into a break of four.
From there, the remaining FDJ riders froze out the rotation and refused to pull. UAE Team ADQ’s Elisa Longo Borghini made a frantic, late-stage move in the final 10 kilometers that ultimately yielded nothing. Gery kept her nerve in the leading quartet, matching the veteran wheels of Lidl-Trek’s Lucinda Brand and Chantal Pegolo before launching a final kick to claim her first elite professional victory by over a bike length.
Earlier in the day, the entire GC structure nearly unraveled when race leader Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) and Movistar’s Marlen Reusser were caught up in a chaotic multi-rider crash. Both managed to remount and successfully chase back into the fold, ensuring van der Breggen safely preserves her 1-minute cushion over Vollering heading into the final weekend.
Results
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