Vollering seals stunning Giro comeback to complete Grand Tour trilogy as Longo Borghini wins final stage

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) completed an epic comeback to win the Giro d’Italia Women as Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) claimed victory on stage 9 in Saluzzo.

The European champion started the ninth and final stage 49 seconds behind race leader Anna van der Breggen, having won a four-up sprint atop the shortened Colle delle Finestre finish on stage 8.

After a chess match with Van der Breggen for much of the stage, Vollering broke clear on the Colletta di Brondello to bridge across to the front trio of Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), who had escaped earlier in the stage. 

Making contact with the front trio with 28km to go, Vollering had opened up enough of a gap to move into the virtual race leader, and hammered home the advantage to seal the maglia rosa for the first time in her career.  

The stage victory was decided in another four-up sprint with Vollering leading out. Fisher-Black launched the sprint before Longo Borghini came past to take a fine stage victory.

Niedermaier moved into second position overall at 1:34 while Van der Breggen slipped to third at 1:37, completing the final podium of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women.

In securing the final overall victory, Vollering etched her name into cycling history alongside Annemiek van Vleuten as the only riders to capture all three modern women's Grand Tours, building on her 2023 Tour triumph and back-to-back Vuelta titles in 2024 and 2025.

The race split on the Category 1 Montoso climb with over 100km remaining. An elite group formed, including Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Isabella Holmgren and Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) and Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Niedermaier capitalised on a lull in the action on the approach to the next climb, the Colletta di Paesana, to launch a bold, long-range attack with Fisher-Black and Longo Borghini quickly jumping across. 

De Vries and Lauren Dickson also tried to react, while Van der Breggen, Vollering and Holmgren remained together behind, with the top two in GC locked in a tactical stalemate. 

By the slopes of the Colletta di Paesana, the front trio had built a substantial advantage that briefly catapulted Niedermaier into the virtual lead of the Giro. Recognising the escalating danger, Vollering tested her rival with an attack on the climb. 

While youth classification leader Holmgren was distanced by the injection of pace, Van der Breggen remained glued to Vollering's wheel.

With 66km remaining, Van der Breggen and Vollering bridged across to Dickson. The trio chased 1:40 behind the leaders, with De Vries caught in no-man's-land, a minute off the front of the race.

De Vries was eventually swept up by the chasing trio, and Dickson continued to contribute significantly to the chase before being distanced on the final categorised test, the Colletta di Brondello, with 42km to go.

At this point, the leaders held a 1:20 advantage as Van der Breggen took over the driving duties behind.

With 39km left to race, Vollering launched an all-important, explosive attack. Van der Breggen initially covered the move, but her resistance lasted only a few hundred metres before the elastic snapped completely.

With less than a kilometre left of the climb, Vollering stamped on the pedals to maximise her advantage, cresting the summit with a gap of over 20 seconds.

The European champion used her descending skills to maximum effect, extending her lead over the pink jersey while closing in on the breakaway. 

With 28km remaining, Vollering successfully bridged across to the leading trio to cement her virtual lead. A few hundred metres later, Van der Breggen found company as De Vries rejoined her in the chase, but the damage was already done. 

Vollering continued to extend her advantage over her rival all the way to the line, completing a historic grand tour comeback.