2026-06-06T13:30:17.885Z<\/p>\n
We’re fast approaching the intermediate sprint at Meana di Susa, the points and the bonuses will all go to the breakaway.<\/p>\n
2026-06-06T13:27:09.321Z<\/p>\n
Alfonsina Strada is the only woman to have ridden and completed a men’s Grand Tour. She rode all over Europe but entered the men’s Giro in 1924 under the name Alfonsin. She was injured in a crash and excluded for being out side the time limit, but rode on, finishing ahead of the last placed rider.<\/p>\n
2026-06-06T13:26:14.057Z<\/p>\n
The Cima Alfonsina Strada is more than just a first category climb, it earns the first rider over the top 25 points, rather than 20 for the standard first category climb.<\/p>\n
2026-06-06T13:25:33.056Z<\/p>\n
At 2178m above sea level, the Colle delle Finestre is the highest point of the whole race, as a result it’s the Cima Alfonsina Strada, the equivalent of the Cima Coppi in the men’s race.<\/p>\n
2026-06-06T13:25:12.508Z<\/p>\n
The breakaway’s advantage is now more than two minutes, but the climb is fast approaching.<\/p>\n
\n
![\"Eva](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/JKJiZEaTAfFiCNGjiEf8L4.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
2026-06-06T13:20:04.221Z Our leading group of 16 has quickly build a lead of 1.36. The Colle delle Finestre begins in just seven kilometres.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T13:18:54.507Z<\/p>\n The breakaway issue not a solo rider, it’s reported as being 16 riders. 2026-06-06T13:11:54.016Z A solo breakaway rider has more than 30 seconds on the bunch, though we don’t yet know her identity.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T13:08:00.897Z<\/p>\n The lone leader has a gap of 33 seconds.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T13:05:01.637Z<\/p>\n We have a move off the front, a lone leader.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T13:04:16.267Z<\/p>\n Maybe that breeze is more like a howling gale, with it behind them, the average speed is approaching 44km\/h.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:59:27.044Z<\/p>\n Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) has been in the overall lead since her remarkable win in the mountain time trial, but can she defend after crashing yesterday?<\/p>\n She was among multiple fallers in a mass crash on stage 7.<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images) 2026-06-06T12:54:13.057Z The race is heading east now, following the autostrada highway along the valley of the Dora la Riparia river. It the wind was a cross breeze before, now it’s a tail breeze, it’s only around 8km\/h.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:49:35.738Z<\/p>\n If any breakaway gets up the road they won’t have long before they reach the bottom of the Finestre. It starts with 43km to go.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:46:33.984Z<\/p>\n Defending champion, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) lost time early in this Giro, but ever since she’s tried to take it back where she can. \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:45:24.396Z<\/p>\n There’s a bit of cross wind here, more of a cross breeze, but it may give an opportunity for a breakaway.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:43:40.720Z We’re over the wall now and still no reports of a breakaway.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:38:18.093Z<\/p>\n The average speed has dropped to 41km\/h, but it’s still quick. No seems to want to let anyone else up the road.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:34:32.289Z<\/p>\n We’ve not reached that wall yet, but we are on the shallow descent of the first slope, which is steeper than the uphill was, about -6%.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:32:56.531Z<\/p>\n Gaia Masetti (Picnic-PostNL) had a small gap for a while, but she’s caught.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:31:46.588Z<\/p>\n There’s a really steep little wall coming up shortly, only about 300m in length, but the gradients are above 20%.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:28:53.628Z There’s plenty of attacking in the peloton, but still no one has got away.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:27:37.314Z<\/p>\n We’ve talked about all the climbing but there is an intermediate sprint today. Coming at Meana di Susa, it’s on the steep opening slopes of the Finestre. 2026-06-06T12:25:32.794Z<\/p>\n The first 60km of today’s stage contain almost 600m of climbing. There are 2,300m in the final 43km.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:22:42.638Z<\/p>\n The race is on a very gentle rise at the moment, it’s no more than 3% and there’s a gentle tail wind making it even harder to get a gap.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:20:28.530Z<\/p>\n We’ve not been going too long but the average speed is 42km\/h. No wonder there’s no breakaway yet.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:17:22.432Z<\/p>\n Will Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) be climbing the podium in pink after the race?<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:14:38.425Z Fast, but still all together.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:13:29.948Z<\/p>\n It’s a fast start so far, plenty of riders will want to get up the road, others will be hoping the break goes sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:12:05.228Z<\/p>\n At the moment the weather isn’t too bad at the moment, sunshine and around 23\u00ba. Don’t expect that to last, the mountain tops will cold and there’s rain forecast, which could make this day even more tough.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:07:30.382Z Here we go, this’ll be a tense fight for the breakaway, with GC teams either defending or trying to get riders up the road.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:04:28.612Z<\/p>\n The opening 60km are almost as flat as they could be, but then the Colle delle Finestre rears up, taking the riders from 480m to 2169m above sea level. And with that over and done with, there’s the final 9km ascent to Sestriere.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T12:00:42.626Z<\/p>\n Today will be a big day in the saddle, but first we have 2km of neutral, and we’re rolling.<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T11:57:04.716Z<\/p>\n The Colle delle Finestre is the main climb of today’s stage. \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T11:51:31.157Z<\/p>\n Today’s stage takes the peloton from Rivoli in the far north west of Italy, to Sestriere, 106km and 2,900m vertical ascent later.<\/p>\n “Sometimes it’s better not to know.”<\/a><\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images) 2026-06-06T11:44:19.202Z<\/p>\n This is one of the things they’re racing for, even if the jersey is perhaps the most well known trophy from the Giro.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-06-06T11:41:51.661Z<\/p>\n Friday’s seventh stage was hugely entertaining, would the break make it or would it be a bunch kick? In the end it was a mix of both.<\/p>\n C\u00e9lia Gery wins stage 7 as Elisa Longo Borghini takes GC time.<\/a><\/p>\n \n
\n50km to go<\/p>\n
Of those, there are two of Demi Vollering’s FDJ United-SUEZ team mates, Eva van Agt and c\u00e9lia Gery.
Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) is the best placed on GC, at 14.45 and will prove very useful to Isabella Holmgren and Niamh Fisher-Black. Silvia Persico will do a similar job for her team leader, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ).<\/p>\n
\n60km to go <\/p>\n![\"Race](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bskv7D9dWZ8YiFr4RDFcyG.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n70km to go<\/p>\n
“You always have to fight,” downhill attack sees Longo Borghini move closer to the maglia rosa.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Elisa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/aTvhpaMuJGf9NWPGRwxVLX.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n80km to go <\/p>\n
\n90km to go <\/p>\n
Crucially there are 6, 4 and 2 bonus seconds there.<\/p>\n![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3vuJDoCpGDdHKPENdwEcVU.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n10km to go <\/p>\n
\nThe official start<\/p>\n
It joins the list of mythical climbs ridden in the Giro d’Italia Women.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"SESTRIERE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/XCvyVuT42ik4Z7AVQz5U5U.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fYSCNU6uQxpV3fdA5STfC.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n![\"Race](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fyoUjfSMqytGfLHqFh8u8.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"SALICE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/huLtVbhUhmc9GVqAzsHiVD.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n