From an exceptional launching pad, the Colle delle Finestre became the actual finish of Stage 8 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women. Due to an unstable sheet of ice that could have fallen onto the road, organisers decided, for safety reasons, to end the stage around one kilometre short of the summit. As a result, the stage was reduced to 76.5 kilometres and transformed into a pure summit finish.
Here are the comments from RCS Sport CEO Paolo Bellino on the matter: “Today something happened that I don’t think has ever happened in our history or in any of our races. Around one o’clock, we had a small snow avalanche in a different area. The section was completely cleared by the local authorities responsible for the park, but the avalanche expert and the person in charge of decisions regarding the situation informed us that there was a 150-metre front of ice extending down the mountainside and affecting the final kilometre — I mean the entire face above the last kilometre of the race. There are two sides to the story. We were told that the situation was extremely dangerous. The ice front had already split into three sections and was resting on rock, meaning there was a risk that it could collapse at any moment. We had to make a decision with the riders’ health and safety in mind. We therefore communicated the situation to all the teams and sports directors, who immediately informed the riders. As you saw on television, they accelerated because they knew exactly what was happening. Obviously, the summit of the climb was only one kilometre away. There were still 20 kilometres remaining to the original finish, but it was still a fantastic battle and a magnificent climb. I believe it was the only thing we could do.”
Victory went to Demi Vollering, although the Dutch star had only mixed feelings at the finish, as her clear objective had been to overturn the Giro. The FDJ-SUEZ leader nevertheless tried everything in the final five kilometres of the climb, only to be met by the immediate response of Maglia Rosa Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx–Protime), as well as Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) and Antonia Niedermaier (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto). In the end, the trio were beaten only in the uphill sprint on the gravel slopes of the Finestre.