Anna van der Breggen takes the lead at the Giro d’Italia Women after a dominant climb to Nevegal
Anna van der Breggen is back in pink. The Dutch cyclist from Team SD Worx - Protime took the lead at the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 after the fourth stage, a mountain individual time trial from Belluno to Nevegal, ridden on Tuesday, June 2. According to the official results from the race organizer, Van der Breggen completed the 12.7-kilometre section in 31 minutes and 38 seconds and won convincingly ahead of Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser of Movistar and the Dutch rider Demi Vollering from the FDJ United - Suez team. Reusser finished 1:04 minutes behind the winner, while Vollering was 1:10 minutes back, which already changed the balance in the battle for the general classification after the first serious test in the mountains. Van der Breggen took the pink jersey from Elisa Balsamo, a member of Lidl - Trek, who had held the leading position after the opening of the race, but on the demanding time trial she was not among the riders fighting for the top of the general classification.
A comeback result with great significance
Victory on Nevegal carries special sporting weight because Van der Breggen is one of the most successful cyclists of her generation, but also because it is a result achieved after her return to the competitive rhythm. According to the announcement by the Giro d’Italia Women organizer, the 36-year-old Dutchwoman returned to the pink jersey five years after she last wore it, and that fact further underlines the scale of her comeback. The race’s official palmarès states that Van der Breggen won the Giro d’Italia Women in 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021, placing her within the narrow circle of the most successful riders in the history of the Italian stage race. After ending her career in 2021, she continued working within the SD Worx - Protime structure, and then returned to the peloton as an active rider. In Belluno and on the climb toward Nevegal, she showed that her return is not merely symbolic, but also exceptionally relevant in competitive terms.
The race organizer described the fourth stage as a time trial that, as a whole, was oriented toward the climb, but was not a simple flat ride to the foot of the hill. The first part passed through the historic centre of Belluno, with technical sectors, narrow roads and sections of paved surface, before the route descended toward Ponte della Vittoria on the Piave River. The real climb began after that part, and after passing through Caleipo the stage entered its hardest final segment. According to the technical description of the route, the final 4.5 kilometres brought a series of hairpins with gradients that often remained above 10 percent, while the steepest ramps reached 14 percent. Such a profile suited riders who can combine time-trial discipline, rhythm over a longer effort and pure climbing strength.
Reusser and Vollering remained closest, Longo Borghini lost time
The official standings after the fourth stage show that Van der Breggen created the first clear time advantage in the general classification. Reusser, the current world time-trial champion according to the race organizer’s announcement, retained second place overall with a 1:04-minute deficit, while Vollering is third at 1:10 minutes down. Antonia Niedermaier of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto is in fourth position with a 1:26-minute deficit, and Monica Trinca Colonel of Liv-AlUla-Jayco is fifth at 1:31 minutes behind the leader. These gaps are not definitive in a race that brings several more demanding stages until Sunday, June 7, but they are large enough that Van der Breggen can now ride from the position of a rider whom the other contenders must attack. In such a balance of power, team control of the race, the distribution of work on mountain stages and the assessment of the moment when rivals can try to overturn the standings also become especially important.
The rider who lost the most compared with expectations was Elisa Longo Borghini, the defending champion and one of the biggest Italian stars in the race. According to the organizer’s report, Longo Borghini finished ninth on the stage, 1:51 minutes behind Van der Breggen, and in the general classification after the fourth stage she is in eighth place with the same deficit. Such an outcome does not eliminate her from the fight, but it changes the way she can ride the rest of the race. Instead of waiting for the final climbs, the Italian rider and her UAE Team ADQ squad will now probably have to look for opportunities for more aggressive racing, especially on stages that offer hard climbs, long descents and the possibility of tactically breaking up the group of favourites. In its preview of the continuation of the race, the organizer particularly highlighted the Dolomitic character of the fifth stage, which means that the pressure on the leading rider can continue immediately after the time trial.
Balsamo remains an important figure in the race, but the battle for the general classification changes
Elisa Balsamo, who wore the pink jersey before the mountain time trial, lost the lead on Nevegal, but she did not disappear from the main stories of the race. According to the official classifications after the fourth stage, the Italian sprinter from Lidl - Trek still holds the red jersey intended for the leading rider in the points classification. This reflects a different profile of her ambitions compared with the climbing specialists and contenders for overall victory. The mountain time trial was a stage that, as a rule, was supposed to favour climbers and riders with high capacity on a long climb, while sprinters and riders oriented toward fast finishes had a different goal: to limit the loss, conserve strength and continue the battle in the classifications that suit them better. For that reason, even after losing the pink jersey, Balsamo remained one of the important protagonists of the race, but the centre of gravity of the general classification has now shifted toward Van der Breggen, Reusser, Vollering and the other climbers.
The changes in jerseys after the fourth stage further confirm that the time trial was a turning point in the first part of the race. According to the organizer’s official data, after Nevegal Van der Breggen is the holder of the pink jersey for the general classification and the blue jersey for the mountain classification. Balsamo remains the leader in the points classification, while the white jersey for the best young rider went to Isabella Holmgren of Lidl - Trek. Such a distribution shows how varied the race is: the sprint stages opened space for the fast riders, the time trial rewarded endurance and mountain rhythm, and the remaining days should show who has the most balanced combination of form, tactics and team support. In women’s stage cycling, differences can often change from day to day, especially when mountain stages come one after another, so the advantage gained on Nevegal does not mean that the race has been decided.
The Giro d’Italia Women this year has nine stages and a strong mountain finale
The Giro d’Italia Women 2026 is being held from May 30 to June 7, and according to data from the Union Cycliste Internationale the race belongs to the UCI Women’s WorldTour category. The official race website states that this year’s route has nine stages, a total of 1177.7 kilometres and 12,100 metres of elevation gain. The start was in Cesenatico, and the finish is planned in Saluzzo, with the route largely focused on northern Italy and on a combination of flat, rolling and distinctly mountainous sections. The fourth stage from Belluno to Nevegal was the shortest in kilometres, but because of its profile and the discipline of the individual time trial it was one of the most important for the general classification. The organizer arranged the route so that the decisive terrain is not exhausted in a single day, but the pressure gradually increases through the Dolomites, the Apennines and the final Piedmontese stages.
After Van der Breggen’s victory, the race continues on June 3 with the fifth stage from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore, 146 kilometres long. According to the organizer’s technical description, it is a major Dolomitic mountain stage with 3400 metres of elevation gain, the climbs of Passo Tre Croci and Passo Sant’Antonio in the first part, and a final circuit that includes two climbs of Costa, an approximately four-kilometre section with an average gradient of around nine percent. Such a profile could immediately open space for attacks by riders who lost time in the time trial, but also test how ready SD Worx - Protime is to defend its new leading position. The sixth stage from Ale to Brescello offers much flatter terrain, but the seventh, eighth and ninth stages again bring demands that can change the standings. The eighth stage from Rivoli to Sestriere stands out in particular, as according to the official route it also includes the climb of Colle delle Finestre, one of the most recognisable climbs in Italian cycling.
SD Worx - Protime must now defend the advantage
For Team SD Worx - Protime, Van der Breggen’s victory has double value: it brought a stage triumph and opened a real possibility of fighting for overall victory. The team that has been among the strongest in women’s cycling for years must now change its role from attacking to defensive, which in stage races often means very demanding work. The leading rider must be protected from sudden attacks, poor positioning, technical problems and unnecessary expenditure of energy before the hardest climbs. At the same time, the advantage of 1:04 minutes over Reusser and 1:10 minutes over Vollering is large enough to provide tactical room, but not so large that it permits passive riding through the remaining mountain days. Every stage with multiple climbs, especially one in which dangerous groups form early, can force the leading team into hard work and open chances for rivals.
Reusser and Vollering remain the closest and most dangerous challengers, but the general classification is not limited only to the first three riders. Niedermaier, Trinca Colonel, Lauren Dickson, Femke de Vries and Longo Borghini are within two minutes of the leader, which means that their performance can also influence the tactics of the big teams. If several rivals unite in an attack or if one of them takes advantage of a hard stage with a changing rhythm, SD Worx - Protime could find itself under pressure before the final kilometres. On the other hand, Van der Breggen showed precisely on Nevegal that she can win even when the race comes down to a pure comparison of strength, tempo and concentration. For that reason, the rest of the Giro will be both a tactical and psychological test: the question is no longer only who has the best form, but who can maintain the level day after day.
Nevegal as a message to the competition
The fourth stage brought not only a change of jersey, but also a clear message to the competition. Van der Breggen did not win by a small margin, but on a climb that required precise dosing of power she outperformed both a time-trial specialist such as Reusser and a rider who, before the race, was considered one of the strongest contenders for overall victory, Demi Vollering. According to the organizer’s report, the gap achieved over 12.7 kilometres was enough for the Dutchwoman to move directly from the group of contenders into the role of leading favourite after the first major test. Such a performance also changes the perception of her comeback: after Nevegal, the talk is no longer only about an experienced champion racing again, but about a rider who can shape the race. That is an important difference in a sport in which reputation helps, but every advantage must be confirmed on the road.
Until the finish in Saluzzo, there remain stages that offer enough room for new turnarounds. The race continues through the Dolomites, then moves toward a flatter day and again enters more demanding finishing profiles, so the fight for the pink jersey will probably continue all the way to the final weekend. Van der Breggen enters the continuation as the leader, Balsamo as the owner of the red jersey, and the competition as a group of riders who must find a way to break the control of SD Worx - Protime. According to the official schedule, the final stage is ridden on Sunday, June 7, on the Saluzzo - Saluzzo route, after which the overall winner of this year’s Giro d’Italia Women will be known. After everything seen on Nevegal, it is clear that the race has gained a strong central story: Anna van der Breggen’s comeback is no longer just a sporting note, but one of the key elements in the battle for the most important jersey in Italian women’s cycling.
Sources:
- Giro d’Italia Women – official report on Anna van der Breggen’s victory in the fourth stage and takeover of the pink jersey (link)
- Giro d’Italia Women – official live summary of the fourth stage, stage result, jersey holders and technical description of the Belluno - Nevegal time trial (link)
- Giro d’Italia Women – official classifications after the fourth stage, including the general classification and jersey classifications (link)
- Giro d’Italia Women – official route of the 2026 edition, stage lengths, total mileage and elevation gain (link)
- Giro d’Italia Women – official description of the fifth stage Longarone - Santo Stefano di Cadore and its mountain profile (link)
- Giro d’Italia Women – official palmarès of the race with previous overall winners (link)
- Union Cycliste Internationale – calendar and status of the Giro d’Italia Women 2026 race in the UCI Women’s WorldTour category (link)