Preview Giro d'Italia Women 2025 | Fifth win for Van der Breggen, or will the Swiss rider stop her?
Women's CyclingFriday, 04 July 2025 at 21:51
While July is all about the Tour de France for the men, for the women there are actually two grand tours held in the summer month. Starting July 26, we begin the Tour de France Femmes, but it will be preceded by the Giro d’Italia Women, starting on July 6. For years, the Giro was the premier stage race for women, but since the introduction of the Tour de France Femmes, it has been somewhat overshadowed by its big sister. IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know about the course.
Most recent winners Giro d'Italia Women
2024 Elisa Longo Borghini
2023 Annemiek van Vleuten
2022 Annemiek van Vleuten
2021 Anna van der Breggen
2020 Anna van der Breggen
2019 Annemiek van Vleuten
2018 Annemiek van Vleuten
2017 Anna van der Breggen
2016 Megan Guarnier
2015 Anna van der Breggen
2023 Annemiek van Vleuten
2022 Annemiek van Vleuten
2021 Anna van der Breggen
2020 Anna van der Breggen
2019 Annemiek van Vleuten
2018 Annemiek van Vleuten
2017 Anna van der Breggen
2016 Megan Guarnier
2015 Anna van der Breggen
Course, favorites stage wins and timings Giro d'Italia Women 2025
Stage 1, Sunday, July 6, 2025: Bergamo - Bergamo (14.2 km, time trial)
We're starting the Giro kick off on Sunday in Bergamo with a rolling time trial of just over 14 kilometers. The first part goes out and back over long, straight roads, meaning it will be all about smashing a big gear. In the second part, the route heads back into Bergamo with more twists and turns, making it more technical. A great opportunity to make an early statement.
Favorites
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Lieke Nooijen (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Lieke Nooijen (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start first rider: 11:35 AM (local time)
Finish last rider: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start first rider: 11:35 AM (local time)
Finish last rider: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Stage 2, Monday, July 7, 2025: Clusone - Aprica (92 km)
Sprinters won’t have it easy in the first two days of the Giro. After the time trial on day 1, day 2 finishes uphill. Problem for climbers with ambitions: it’s more of a draggy climb, with only short sections over 6 percent. Strong climbing sprinters might still be able to hang on here!
Times
Start: 12:00 PM (local time)
Finish: around 2:18 PM (local time)
Start: 12:00 PM (local time)
Finish: around 2:18 PM (local time)
Stage 3, Tuesday, July 8, 2025: Vezza d'Oglio - Trento (122 km)
Despite the tough start, sprinters could get ready for their first real chance here. After 17 kilometers of suffering, the route goes entirely downhill and flat towards the finish in Trento. There, a fast finish awaits, although there is a sharp left turn in the final kilometer.
Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM)
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM)
Times
Start: 11:30 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start: 11:30 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Stage 4, Wednesday, July 9, 2025: Castello Tesino - Pianezze (142 km)
The first real uphill test comes on day 4, with 10.7 kilometers at 7.5 percent, we’re talking serious climbing here after a stage that’s been up and down all day through the Italian interior. Which GC rider will make a big move here?
Favorites
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Times
Start: 10:35 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start: 10:35 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Stage 5, Thursday, July 10, 2025: Mirano - Monselice (120 km)
Perfectly flat, you don’t often see that in the Giro! After a tough day of climbing, the sprinters can loosen up their legs and smash out some watts in the streets of Monselice.
Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM)
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM)
Times
Start: 11:45 AM
Finish: around 2:30 PM
Start: 11:45 AM
Finish: around 2:30 PM
Stage 6, Friday, July 11, 2025: Bellaria-Igea Marina - Terre Roveresche (145 km)
Women who have already lost quite a bit of time can go all out on the sixth day of the Giro, in a stage that seems tailor-made for breakaway riders. GC teams will have little incentive to chase hard, as they still have two tough days ahead.
Favorites
Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck)
Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek)
Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ)
Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck)
Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek)
Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ)
Times
Start: 10:35 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start: 10:35 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Stage 7, Saturday, July 12, 2025: Fermignano - Monte Nerone (150 km)
D-day and essentially the decisive stage of this Giro! A beautiful mountain stage finishes at the top of Monte Nerone, a beast of a climb at 14.6 kilometers with an average gradient of 6.6 percent. Average, because towards the summit it gets steeper and steeper, with the final 8 kilometers averaging nearly 8 percent.
Times
Start: 9:55 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start: 9:55 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Stage 8, Sunday, July 13, 2025: Forlì - Imola (134 km)
Of course, anything can still happen on the final day, but in principle everything should be settled by then, and the women with something left in their legs can go all out one last time. Or will we still see a battle for GC positions?
Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 10:50 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Start: 10:50 AM (local time)
Finish: around 2:30 PM (local time)
Favorites final classification Giro d'Italia Women 2025
If there is one woman on the start list this year who has already shown great things in stage races, it’s Marlen Reusser. The Swiss rider from Movistar was still beaten by Demi Vollering in the Vuelta, but recently took revenge on the Dutch woman by winning the Tour of Switzerland. In between, she also won a stage and the overall (even two stages) in the Vuelta a Burgos. With her excellent time trial abilities, Reusser is a very dangerous contender for the overall victory.
Still, Lotte Kopecky is almost always a contender in any race she enters. The Belgian from SD Worx-Protime finished second last year but has already shown strong form earlier this year. The 29-year-old from Rumst won her third Tour of Flanders this spring and recently claimed her seventh consecutive Belgian time trial title. SD Worx-Protime probably has the best chance with Anna van der Breggen, as the Dutchwoman has already won the Giro four times in her career. This year, she finished third in the Vuelta.
Who could challenge the women mentioned above? We definitely have to look at Elisa Longo Borghini. The experienced Italian is defending her title, but she’s doing so in the colors of UAE Team ADQ, after moving there from Lidl-Trek this winter. The rider from Ornavasso has already won a lot this year, including the UAE Tour, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Brabantse Pijl, and the Italian road race championship. Longo Borghini, unlike many other favorites, also has the advantage of racing on home soil.
What can we expect from Juliette Labous? The Frenchwoman from FDJ-SUEZ finished fifth last year, although that was while riding for dsm-firmenich PostNL. The 26-year-old has often shown she can keep up with the very best in the mountains and also has an excellent time trial in her legs.
Anyone else? Absolutely! Fenix-Deceuninck will count on Pauliena Rooijakkers, the experienced Dutch rider who impressively finished third in last year’s Tour, though they also have a very dangerous contender in Yara Kastelijn. Silke Smulders appears to be Liv AlUla Jayco’s GC card for this Giro, while Lidl-Trek will aim for a good overall result with Shirin van Anrooij. Additionally, we can expect riders like Sarah van Dam (CERATIZIT), Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), and Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) to go for the best possible GC result.
Who are the favorites for the final classification of the Giro d'Italia Women 2025 according to IDLProCycling.com?
Top favorite: Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)
Outsiders: Marlen Reusser (Movistar), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Long-shots: Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ), Pauliena Rooijakkers, Yara Kastelijn (both Fenix-Deceuninck), Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Shirin van Anrooi (Lidl-Trek)
IDL-productions
Aike Visbeek expects Biniam Girmay to deliver in Tour de France: "He can also challenge Mathieu van der Poel and co."
Tim Merlier might actually get more domestiques in the Tour de France
Remco Evenepoel starts chaotic opening stages in Tour de France on energy-saving mode: "Am I looking forward to it? No"
Berckmoes and Lotto have their eyes on the Tour de France's opening week: "It’s very French"
Jonas Vingegaard starts the Tour de France with a lot more muscle: "That’s what we lacked a bit last year"
Latest Cycling News
Evenepoel struggles with his power output and complains about transfer drought at Quick-Step: "Landa isn’t going to keep racing until he’s 60 either"
Spanish national champion Roméo targets Tour stage wins: ‘I’ve shown what I’m capable of’
Aike Visbeek expects Biniam Girmay to deliver in Tour de France: "He can also challenge Mathieu van der Poel and co."
These free spirits smell their chances in the chaotic first week of the Tour: "When I look at the road book, I lose sleep"
Tim Merlier might actually get more domestiques in the Tour de France
Popular Cycling News
Vingegaard criticizes Tour de France organizers and is "forced to train on TT bike": "That stage is fundamental"
Preview Tour de France 2025 | Route set to test Pogacar’s weaknesses and play into the hands of Van der Poel and Van Aert
Van Aert stays motivated despite countless comebacks: "Aim higher than the target because the arrow drops during flight"
Visma with Rabobank on their jerseys, Israel Premier-Tech unveils a special bike, and finally a real UAE tricolor
Belgium anything but modest ahead of the Tour: "If he were the sole team leader, he could win the first 10 stages"
Latest Comments
- Maybe I was a bit disrespectful to Heiden. What he did was unique and exceptional but he wasn't the only one who combined those distances, nowadays it is just not possible and nobody competes in both distances. The same is true for cycling with for example the combination of Roubaix and de Tour de France. In Merckx era there were more riders who managed a top10 in both races than currently.Joostmehrtens19-06-2025
- Two old men shouting at pigeons in the park…JonS16-06-2025
- Out of touch old men hankering after their youth through rose tinted spectacles, their arrogance almost outshines their irrelevance. Turn the volume down, this modern stuff just isn't music like we used to sing...johnny20whales16-06-2025
- In talking speed skating, the days when Heiden did that, nobody else did that. And Eddy couldn't do the equivalent of the bike. His 200 on the velodrome was good, but not world competitive for gold. Heiden was in his own world on the ice, moreso than Eddy if we pretend Eric didn't have a very short career on the ice.Veganpotter16-06-2025
- They wouldn't have dropped HIM so easily.... the GOAT. They would have dropped the rest from that era easily thoughVeganpotter16-06-2025
- Merckx was able to win in a break away on a flat (sprinters) stage, what do you mean they did not drop that easily in his time. Vlaeminck won in the mountains and the classics, but now you need to specialise. The days that a Eric Heiden could win the sprint and the 10k and everything in between are long gone and cycljng is no differentJoostmehrtens16-06-2025
- Carsapaz and Del torro were not capable of chasing Yates. They paused and looked at each other because they didn't have it in them. Yates had kept his powder dry waiting for this stage and demolished both of them. They lost Yates won. Your second guessing is utter nonsense., if either felt they could close Yates down they would have , just like they did countless times for other riders. They blew up , Yates excelled.Uphillbilly05-06-2025
- Carapaz is full of it. He is absolutely irrelevant after a rant at del Toro. Isaac had no obligations to do anything for Carapaz. It should remind one of the saying that goes lke this: "If I jump off the bridge, are you going to jump too?" If Caapaz wanted to win the Giro he should have chased Yates with or without Isaac. And if del Toro could follow, then so be it. But it was Carapaz's choice to slow down and stare at Isaac. Isaac was on the radio at times and you can bet he was being told by the Team car to do just what he was doing. Did I like that he didn't set out after Yates himself, NO. But the 21 year old was probably being instructed to do what he did, otherwise you can bet we would have heard from UAE mgmt. that Isaac chose to ignore their orders. But what we did hear was they were happy with his result. Which I think was a terrible betrayal of their young rider, who I think was capable of more than that penultimate stage showed. The Giro finished on a truly sour note as far as I'm concerned, because it was not "raced" The most crucial stage of the whole 21 stage race was simply given away, playing games with the unwritten rules of bicycle racing. "Leaders jerseys responsibility" and all that nonsense. Just RACE! It was disgraceful.
reemmo004-06-2025 - Well this aged like fine milkGlyn31-05-2025
- This is just mean-spirited.agnessk29-05-2025