'That's cycling, you have to deal with nature' - Vollering wins shortened Finestre battle amid avalanche risk chaos

As is often the case in cycling, the elements completely rewrote the queen stage of the Giro d’Italia Women on Saturday. The queen stage was due to finish in Sestriere after the ascent of the mythical Colle delle Finestre. 

However, an avalanche risk thanks to an unstable ice sheet atop the Finestre forced the race organisers to take evasive action as the riders were tackling the lower slopes, with the news then filtering to the riders mid-effort. 

After tasking her FDJ United-Suez teammates with whittling down the peloton on the lower gradients to great effect, the unexpected announcement forced Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) to rapidly adapt her strategy in her bid to overturn the one-minute deficit to overall leader Anna van der Breggen.

“Yeah, it was a really strange day, I mean we heard it only 7km before the top or something. So the moment we heard it we directly changed the plan and tried to make a harder pace,” said Vollering in her post-race interview. 

Vollering launched her first significant acceleration as the gravel arrived, matched by Van der Breggen, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//Sram) and Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek).

“But of course, it didn't go as we planned. I really had in mind to try to give it my all and take one minute back,” said Vollering. “But yeah, that suddenly, instead of 35km to the finish, it's only 6 or 7km, it changed a lot.”

Ultimately, the leading quartet stayed together to duke it out in a sprint to the makeshift finish line. Vollering proved the fastest, claiming her second victory of the 2026 Giro.

Despite the disappointment of a missed opportunity to claw back time on Van der Breggen, Vollering accepted the unpredictable nature of cycling, a sport played out in a natural stadium where the race situation can simply be taken out of the riders' hands.

“But it is how it is, that’s cycling. You have to deal with nature, you have to deal with everything that's going around,” said Vollering. 

“So yeah, it’s weird, I still don't know what to think about it. Of course I'm happy to win this beautiful stage, it’s a beautiful climb, but at the same time also a little bit disappointed.”

Courtesy of the ten bonus seconds gained for winning the stage, Vollering edged closer to the maglia rosa, but remains a substantial 0:50 behind Van der Breggen with one final stage remaining. 

The race leader had pushed a punishing tempo in the closing kilometres of the Finestre ascent, neutralising any room for Vollering, Niedermaier, or Holmgren to launch further attacks. When asked if Van der Breggen’s front-riding effort might leave her fatigued for Sunday's final showdown, Vollering was doubtful.

“No, I mean on a climb like that, you don't really have drag so the one who was in front doesn't change too much. So I don’t think that will change a lot,” explained Vollering.

The 145km stage in question takes place around Saluzzo, and while it features the category one Montoso ascent in the first half, Vollering anticipates a tough task to overturn the deficit to her compatriot. 

“Yeah, I think tomorrow is not really a day where you can take a minute back, I think, so it’s unfortunate but it is how it is.”