Vollering wins the Giro d'Italia in the final stage after a historic comeback

When it seemed that the Giro d'Italia Women 2026 was definitely decided in favor of Anna van der Breggen, Demi Vollering staged one of the most spectacular comebacks in recent years to snatch the pink jersey on the final day of competition. The Dutch rider from the FDJ-SUEZ team launched a devastating attack 40 kilometers from the finish and ultimately turned the general classification around to win the Italian round for the first time.

Demi Vollering wins the Giro d'Italia Women 2026 after an epic comeback in the final stage

The final stage, starting and finishing in Saluzzo over 145 kilometers, began with Van der Breggen as the leader and with a lead that seemed sufficient to defend her position. However, the race exploded from very far out, and Vollering seized every opportunity to put her rival under pressure.

The decisive offensive came on the slopes of the Colletta di Brondello. There, Vollering accelerated strongly and opened a gap that Van der Breggen was unable to close. The FDJ-SUEZ rider then connected with the leading group and, supported by perfect collaboration among the breakaway riders, gradually increased her lead until securing the final victory.

While Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) won the stage sprint, Vollering crossed the finish line focused solely on the goal she had pursued throughout the day: to wear pink.

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After the race, Vollering acknowledged that the plan had been designed together with her sports directors Lars Boom and Lieselot Decroix and that from the start she assumed there was only one way to win.

“This is absolute madness. Right now, I can't even describe it. It feels unreal,” explained the Dutch rider.

The FDJ-SUEZ leader particularly highlighted the work of her teammates throughout the stage.

“The girls were incredible from the beginning. They tried to get into the breakaway, and when that wasn't possible, they set an impressive pace on the first climb. Lauren Dickson was incredibly strong today. It all came down to one thing: daring to lose. That was really the key to success.”

This mentality proved decisive when the race entered its most important moment.

“I was willing to go all in. I let Antonia Niedermaier go because being second or third in the general classification changed nothing for me. This way, the pressure was on Anna, who was the one who had to react.”

Vollering's offensive ultimately became an exercise in individual endurance during the decisive kilometers.

“On the last climb, I had to do the time trial of my life,” she explained.

The gamble paid off. Van der Breggen began to lose time consistently, and the FDJ-SUEZ rider started to truly believe in the comeback when the gap exceeded two minutes.

“I still can't believe it. I only dared to dream of the pink jersey when I saw that the lead had grown to two minutes.”

“I had cramps everywhere. I was completely at my limit, but luckily there was good collaboration in the leading group. I felt like I was flying at the end. Thinking that I could achieve the pink jersey gave me wings.”

Vollering completes the collection of grand tours

With this victory, Vollering adds the Giro d'Italia Women to a palmarès that already included the triumph in the Tour de France Femmes 2023 and the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Women's Tour.

The Dutch rider also becomes one of the few cyclists capable of winning all three grand tours on the women's calendar and marks one of the greatest successes of her career.

Despite this, the FDJ-SUEZ rider wanted to temper the euphoria, already thinking about the next big goal of the season.

“I hope to shine in the Tour as well, but first I'm going to enjoy this victory. Winning a grand tour is never something normal. Sometimes it seems like winning races is common, but it is not.”

On the contrary, the day dealt a harsh blow to Anna van der Breggen. The SD Worx-Protime rider started the day dressed in pink and ended up losing the lead to fall to third place in the general classification.

Final general classification of the Giro d'Italia Women 2026

1. Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) – 29:54:19
2. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) +0:30
3. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) +1:37
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) +2:44
5. Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) +3:26
6. Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike Women) +5:07
7. Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) +7:10
8. Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) +12:39
9. Valentina Cavallar (SD Worx-Protime) +13:12
10. Lore De Schepper (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) +13:29