Demi Vollering landed the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women title with a last gasp attack on the final climb of the race. The pre-race favourite still had to gain almost a minute on her former teammate Anna van der Breggen going into the last stage after her losses in the individual tt earlier in the race.
It means Vollering has now won all three women's Grand Tours, becoming the second female rider to do so after Annemiek van Vleuten. Vollering will now go on to race the Tour de France Femmes in late July in a bid to 'do the double'. Her season aim for 2026.
The Giro got off to an inauspicious start when Lorena Wiebes was disqualified from the race shortly after winning the opening stage. The commissaires on the race who weighed her bike - a common check at major events - deemed it was 20 grams over the minimum weight limit of 6.8kg.
This despite the fact her Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 (with Roval wheels and a SRAM Red groupset) is the one she's been riding all year. And the frame and all other components are UCI approved.
The stage was awarded to Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) who went on to win stages two and three while wearing the pink jersey.
This year the race is once again staking it's claim to the top spot on the women's calendar with a ninth stage in 2026 and, crucially, a new date that drags it out from the shadows of the men's Tour de France.
The race, in all it's guises, has for many years been held in July and struggled to get the recognition it deserves as the Tour de France takes the majority of the media coverage and attention of the fans.
It's new date at the end of May and first week of June sees it follow on from the men's Giro d'Italia and takes the spot on the women's WT calendar formerly used by the Tour of Britain Women that itself moves to a later date.
>>>> Giro d'Italia 2026: Everything you need to know
This should improve the Giro's visibility and, with a ninth stage, puts it back on par with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift which, since it's relaunch in 2022, has quickly become the biggest race on the calendar. With the women's Vuelta, that runs in early May, also adding an extra stage, the three Grand Tours are better spread across the women's calendar which has made the women's Giro Tour double more tempting prospect. Demi Vollering has already stated this as being her main aim for 2026.
The Giro will be held entirely in the north of the country, with three flat opening stages followed by a short mountain time trial then a mix of mountains, smaller climbs and one more flat stage over the second half of the race.
The queen stage is the penultimate day to a summit finish at Sestriere in the Alps, before which the peloton tackles the Colle Delle Finestre (2,178m), so often the deciding climb in the men's Giro and where Simon Yates sealed his victory this year.
Giro d'Italia Women 2026: Key details
Dates |
Saturday 30 May - Sunday 7 June 2026 |
Stages |
Nine |
Start location |
Cesenatico |
Finish location |
Saluzzo |
UCI ranking |
Women's WorldTour |
Edition |
37th |
Total distance |
939.6km |
Total climbing / elevation gain |
14,000m |
2025 winner |
Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) |
Leader's jersey colour |
Pink |
TV coverage (UK) |
TNT Sports |
Giro d'Italia Women 2026: Stage list
Stage |
Day |
Start |
Finish |
Distance |
Terrain |
Stage winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
30 May |
Cesenatico |
Ravenna |
139km |
Flat |
|
2 |
31 May |
Roncade H-Farm |
Caorle |
146km |
Flat |
|
3 |
1 June |
Bibione |
Buja |
154km |
Flat |
|
4 |
2 June |
Belluno |
Nevegal Tudor |
12.7km |
Mountain ITT |
|
5 |
3 June |
Longarone |
Santo Stefano di Cadore |
138km |
Mountains |
|
6 |
4 June |
Ala |
Brescello |
155km |
Flat |
|
7 |
5 June |
SorboloMezzani |
Salice Terme |
165km |
Hilly |
|
8 |
6 June |
Rivoli |
Sestriere |
101km |
Mountains |
|
9 |
7 June |
Saluzzo |
Saluzzo |
143km |
Medium mountains |
Giro d'Italia Women 2026: The jerseys
The rider leading the race, with the lowest cumulative time across all stages, will sport the iconic pink jersey, the 'maglia rosa'.
The rider who accumulates the least amount of time after the final stage is completed, including any time bonuses that may have been earned, will be crowned as the overall general classification winner. She will get to take home the maglia jersey as well as the Trofeo Senza Fine and a monetary price.
Not to be mistaken with the pink jersey, the purple jersey (ciclamino) is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points, typically a sprinter targeting points on offer at intermediate sprints and race finishes.
The blue (azzura) jersey is also called the the climber's jersey or the Queen of the Mountains jersey. Point are awarded to the first riders who reach the summit of designated climbs. The rider who accumulates the most summit points takes home this award.
And the white (bianca) jersey is like the pink jersey but given to the best rider under the age of 26.
Read about the Giro d'Italia jerseys here.
Giro d'Italia Women: Past winners
Year |
Winner |
Nationality |
Team |
|---|---|---|---|
2026 |
Demi Vollering |
France |
FDJ United Suez |
2025 |
Elisa Longo Borghini |
Italy |
UAE Team ADQ |
2024 |
Elisa Longo Borghini |
Italy |
Lidl - Trek |
2023 |
Annemiek van Vleuten |
Netherlands |
Movistar |
2022 |
Annemiek van Vleuten |
Netherlands |
Movistar |
2021 |
Anna van der Breggen |
Netherlands |
SD Worx |
2020 |
Anna van der Breggen |
Netherlands |
Boels - Dolmans |
2019 |
Annemiek van Vleuten |
Netherlands |
Mitchelton - Scott |
2018 |
Annemiek van Vleuten |
Netherlands |
Mitchelton - Scott |
2017 |
Anna van der Breggen |
Netherlands |
Boels - Dolmans |
2016 |
Megan Guarnier |
USA |
Boels - Dolmans |
2015 |
Anna van der Breggen |
Netherlands |
Rabobank - Liv |
2014 |
Marianne Vos |
Netherlands |
Rabobank - Liv |
2013 |
Mara Abbott |
USA |
USA |
2012 |
Marianne Vos |
Netherlands |
Rabobank |
2011 |
Marianne Vos |
Netherlands |
Nederland Bloeit |
2010 |
Mara Abbott |
USA |
USA |
