The UAE Team ADQ rider Elisa Longo Borghini clawed back precious time during Stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia Women, gaining 5 seconds on key general classification rivals during the uphill run to Salice Terme. The tactical masterclass came on June 5, as the Italian national champion launched an audacious attack in the descent of the day's only categorized climb, approximately 20 km from the finish line.
Why This Matters
• Italian contender pressing forward: Longo Borghini sits 6th overall, 2:07 behind race leader Anna van der Breggen, heading into the mountain stages.
• Historic climb ahead: Stage 8 will feature the first-ever women's ascent of the Colle delle Finestre, one of cycling's most iconic climbs.
• Crash chaos: Multiple classification contenders, including maglia rosa van der Breggen and Italy's Monica Trinca Colonel, hit the deck mid-stage but managed to continue.
Surprise Breakaway Denies Sprint Finish
In a dramatic twist at Salice Terme, the peloton failed to reel in a late breakaway group, handing France's Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) her first stage win of the 2026 edition. Gery outsprinted Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) and Chantal Pegolo (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria) in a six-rider dash to the line, upending predictions of a mass sprint finish on the 159 km route from Sorbolo Mezzani.
The winning move crystallized when Gery attacked on the descent after the day's sole GPM, with Brand and Italy's Silvia Persico joining the acceleration. Longo Borghini, sensing an opportunity to chip away at her overall deficit, bridged across to form a dangerous quartet. The group caught the day's early escapees and, propelled by the two UAE riders working in tandem, held off the chasing pack by a handful of seconds.
Longo Borghini's tactical gamble paid immediate dividends. While she didn't contest the sprint or claim bonus seconds at the finish, the Italian champion gained 5 seconds on the main group of GC rivals, who were slowed by nervous positioning and the earlier crash involving van der Breggen. After seven stages, the Verbania native remained positioned to challenge on the mountain stages ahead, though she faced a significant deficit following a disappointing time trial on Stage 4, where she conceded 1:50 to van der Breggen.
Crash Disrupts Maglia Rosa Group
The stage was marred by a mass pile-up approximately 56 km from the finish, sweeping up Netherlands' van der Breggen and her entire Team SD Worx-Protime support squad. Italy's Monica Trinca Colonel was also caught in the tangle of bikes and bodies. Van der Breggen, nursing visible abrasions, managed to remount and chase back to the peloton with the help of her team, preserving her overall lead heading into the decisive mountain stages.
Despite the setback, van der Breggen's advantage remained comfortable: she held a cushion of nearly 2 minutes over her nearest challengers at the start of the mountain finale weekend. The incident underscored the precarious nature of stage racing, where mechanical failures, crashes, and tactical miscalculations can erase weeks of preparation in seconds.
Historic Finestre Ascent Awaits
The Giro's organizers have billed Stage 8 as the tappa regina—the queen stage—featuring the historic first climb of the Colle delle Finestre by the women's peloton. The 105 km route from Rivoli to Sestriere will include the brutal, partially unpaved ascent, long a feature of the men's Giro and one of professional cycling's most feared climbs. The stage promises to reshape the general classification and settle the race for the maglia rosa.
However, organizers face a last-minute safety concern: an unstable sheet of ice near the summit of the Finestre has forced a rerouting of the finish line to approximately 1 km before the original GPM marker. Despite the alteration, the climb retains its fearsome reputation, with riders confronting steep gradients and loose gravel on the final kilometers.
What This Means for Italian Cycling Fans
Longo Borghini's late-stage surge in Stage 7 offered a glimpse of her climbing prowess. With a 2:07 deficit, she remains in the hunt but will need flawless execution on the mountain stages ahead to make significant gains in the overall classification.
For Italian cycling enthusiasts, the Giro Women continues to grow in prestige and spectacle. The inclusion of the Colle delle Finestre—a first for women's racing—signals a commitment to equalizing the calendar's iconic climbs. The remaining mountain stages will determine whether Longo Borghini can capitalize on her trademark climbing strength and close the gap to the leaders.
Classification Battles Beyond the Maglia Rosa
While van der Breggen dominates the maglia rosa, other jerseys remain hotly contested. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) holds a commanding lead in the maglia ciclamino (points classification) with 152 points, more than double the tally of runner-up Gery. Balsamo's consistency in sprint stages and intermediate sprints makes her a near-lock for the purple jersey.
The maglia azzurra (climber's jersey) will likely be decided on the Finestre, where the day's breakaway specialists and climbing talents can make their mark. In the maglia bianca (youth classification), Sweden's Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) holds a promising position, establishing herself as a future star of women's cycling.
