Breakaway holds strong on final climb at Giro Donne as Henderson wins stage and takes pink jersey

Despite its short distance, the 92-kilometer stage proved to be a challenging one. After the first 20 kilometers, almost the entire stage consisted of climbing, with particularly steep gradients in the last eight kilometers. However, the final climb was not the most difficult, with gradients ranging between two and six percent.

After an uneventful stretch of just under ten kilometers, it took a considerable amount of time for the first attack and breakaway group to form. After just under an hour of racing, there was a crash in the peloton involving Anna van der Breggen. Not much later, an early breakaway group formed. Britain's Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) and France's Dilyxine Miermont (Ceratizit) gained a maximum lead of four minutes.

This comfortable lead caused unrest in the peloton, with the two breakaway riders starting the final climb with a three-minute lead. In the rain, riders such as Lucinda Brand and Lorena Wiebes immediately lost ground at the start of the final climb. Marianne Vos was also unable to keep up, leaving the peloton with only 25 riders.

With nine kilometers to go, pink jersey wearer Reusser decided to accelerate. The gap to the two women in the leading group had decreased to one minute, but after Reusser's acceleration, the leaders gained a few seconds. Vos received help from her team in the background, bringing the Dutch rider to within just one and a half minutes of the two leaders. With three kilometers to go, the first chasing group was still thirty seconds behind.

Reusser, the leader in the GC, did not have to lead the chase: that was done by UAE Team ADQ, with Italian champion Longo Borghini. Vos had given up hope by then: Visma | Lease a Bike would not be able to close the gap with the leaders. The same was true for the chasing group, which included the favorites for the stage win. A head-to-head between Miermont and Henderson would decide who would take the stage win. Miermont decided to take the lead in the last kilometer and start the sprint from the front. That turned out not to be the right tactic, as Henderson easily sprinted past her.