Giro d’Italia Women stage 5 LIVE: A huge breakaway containing some GC threats leads Anna van der Breggen’s favourites’ group by four minutes

Caroline Andersson won the maximum points at the top of the Passo Tre Croci, while Van der Breggen’s favourites’ group remains 3.28 behind the day’s breakaway.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-03T13:15:40.160Z

There’s still a fair bt of descending to go, the next climb begins with 61km to go.

The breakaway’s lead over the Van der Breggen group has increased to 3.20, while we have no information on the chasing group.

2026-06-03T13:06:58.546Z

Cavllar was a left field signing for SD Worx this year, joining after two years with Arkea-B&B Hotels where she won the Alpes Gresivaudan Classic and performed very well in other mountainous races.
A former rower, she represented Austria athe Tokyo Olympics.

2026-06-03T13:04:07.929Z

The Van der Breggen group are now less than three minutes behind the leaders, but what a day it is with such a group of hitters up the road.
Both Dickson and Cavallar came to the sport late.
Dickson a former runner who joined FDJ this year, aged 25.

2026-06-03T13:00:33.707Z

The group of four, which had been a steady minute behind the leaders, has splintered on the climb and onto the descent, with the four women spread about 40 seconds on the road.
One of them is Picnic-PostNL’s former British champion, Pfeiffer Georgi.

2026-06-03T12:57:54.625Z

Over the top of the Tre Croci and the gaps are unlikely to change too much on the descent. It’ll be fast as it’s not too technical, with few hairpins, though it is long, almost 30km.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Almost at the top of the Passo Tre Croci and the breakaway’s advantage has tumbled down to only 3.21.

2026-06-03T12:48:27.308Z

On the climb the gap has dropped to 4.05, with SD Worx and Movistar lead ing the bunch.
Movistar started the day with Marlen Reusser second place and while they have Mareille Meijer in the leading group, she is 22.04 down. The Spanish squad will need to work to salvage Reusser’s GC.

2026-06-03T12:44:01.108Z

There’s been some confusion in the information coming from on the ground. The race is on the the first major climb of the day.

The Passo Tre Croci is 8km in length with a fairly even gradient of 7.3% and by the time they reach the top they’ll be over 1800m so the altitude could be an issue for some.

2026-06-03T12:39:39.483Z

In theory, now the breakaway is the GC group, but we’ll call them the breakaway.

The breakaway are now on the first 1st category climb, the Passo Tre Croci and lead the GC group by 4.55.

2026-06-03T12:35:22.218Z

Of the breakaway the following riders started the day within five minutes of Van der Breggen’s overall lead.
Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ) @ 1.38,
Nadia Gontova (Liv-Alula-Jayco) @ 2.44,
Valentina Cavallar (SD Worx-Protime) @ 2.53,
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Canyon-Sram) @2.44,
Mie Bjørdal Ottestad (UNO=X Mobility) @ 2.57,
Mereia Bentio (AG Insurance-Soudal) @3.22,
Viktória Chladaňová (Visma-Lease a Bike) @3.55
Maya Kingma (Aromitalia Vaiano) @4.27 and
Emilie Morier (ST Michel-Preference homes-Auber93) @4.49.

2026-06-03T12:25:29.125Z

After her spectacular win yesterday Anna van der Breggen was certainly in reflective mood.

2026-06-03T12:22:16.437Z

As it stands the Dickson group lead the race, a second group of four are a minute behind, while the Van der Breggen group are at 2.30.
Who blinks first?

The clever thing SD Worx have done is allow Valentina Cavallar into the leading group. the Austrian is 14th on GC, 2.53 behind team mate Van der Breggen and 1.15 behind Dickson.
This gives FDJ and SD Worx a fascinating strategic decision to make; do they allow their second ranaked riders to fight for the race win? Do they let the jersey ride up the road?

2026-06-03T12:10:26.551Z

The group at the front consists of around 30 riders, including Lauren Dickson, a FDJ United-SUEZ team mate of Demi Vollering. The British rider started the day 1.38 behind Van der Breggen, in sixth place.
Having her in the break puts hige pressure on Van der Breggen and her SD Worx squad.

2026-06-03T12:00:12.577Z

We’re not yet sure whether she has been dropped or whether a huge breakaway has been allowed to form.

2026-06-03T11:58:17.159Z

Anna van der Breggen is onto something in the leading part of the peloton, instead the maglia rosa is 55 seconds behind, with a group of around 30 at the front.

2026-06-03T11:56:26.033Z

Isabella Holmgren was the first of the Lidl-Trek riders home yesterday. and is the best young rider in this year’s race.

Still no breakaway has formed, we’re on the flatter section now, though.

Still all together as we approach the top of the unclassified climb. It’s almost 30km from the top unit they reach the bottom of the Passo Tre Croci and, while it’s a gentle false flat, it could be the perfect place for a break to go clear.

2026-06-03T11:42:54.914Z

But what about yesterday, the stage 4 time trial certainly rearranged the general classification

2026-06-03T11:41:01.488Z

Visma-Lease a Bike are on the front of the bunch. They’ll be looking to the ir young French climber, Marion Bunel for a big day. She put time into Van der Breggen on the final day of the Vuelta Femenina, on the slopes of l’Angliru. There’s nothing quite so brutal today, though.

2026-06-03T11:34:29.590Z

Still al together, but with attacks in the bunch.

2026-06-03T11:28:04.434Z

First up is the unclassified climb to Pieve di Cadore is 5km at 5.4%. We’ll be there in just over 10km.

2026-06-03T11:26:28.651Z

The first categorised climb is Passo Tre Croci is the day’s first climb, but that begins in Cortina d’Ampezzo after 48.3km, but the riders will have climbed over 900m by then.

2026-06-03T11:25:22.425Z

Here we go, the attacks have started. There’ll many trying to get away for the chance of victory or for the breakaway’s sake, but Van der Breggen’s GC rivals might want to pressure her and the SD Worx-Protime team, weakened by the loss of two riders. They start with only five in total, remember.

2026-06-03T11:21:48.582Z

The start town of Longarone has hosted four starts of the men’s Giro d’Italia, but the town has a tragic past. In 1963 the village was destroyed in the Vajont Dam disaster and almost 2,000 people were killed.

Let’s go. This could be an epic day’s racing.

2026-06-03T11:08:13.210Z

The stage is a proper beast, starting with two 1st category climbs before two ascents of the same 3rd category climb. The Passo Trio Croci comes first, the Passo di Sant’Antonio next, then a loop including the double ascent of the Costa climb.

2026-06-03T11:02:18.789Z

Here we go then, we’re uphill from the line today, though only after 6.4km of neutral.
A maximum forecast temperature of 21º today, and while there’ll be some sunshine, there’s a weather alert for storms too. Anything could happen!

2026-06-03T10:53:22.804Z

Race leader, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) heads to sign on ahead of the stage.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-03T10:47:56.479Z

Barbara Malcotti is Human Powered Health’s climbing hope for today’s stage, but first some stretching.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-03T10:40:12.618Z

They’re in Longarone for today’s stage, and on the cards is 146km to Santo Stefano di Cadore. We’re still in north eastern Italy, in the Alps, east of Bolzano. We’ll pass through the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

2026-06-03T10:34:25.579Z

Niamg Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) isn’t the only rider warming up before the stage.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-06-03T10:30:53.813Z

While people are rightly looking at Saturday’s eighth stage and its iconic climbs, with 3,330m of vertical ascent, today has more climbing than any other stage this week. We roll out at 12:55CET.

Good morning, and welcome again to the Cyclingnews coverage of stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia Women.