She wanted to win, and she delivered. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) started Stage 2 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women in the Maglia Rosa following the relegation of Lorena Wiebes, but made her intentions clear before the start: “This isn’t the way I wanted to take the Maglia Rosa, but I’ll honour it and try to win a stage.” Mission accomplished. On the finish line in Caorle, the Italian celebrated her second victory of the season — and her first earned on the road.
Thanks to this victory, Elisa Balsamo strengthens her grip on the general classification and could now target a hat-trick in tomorrow’s stage from Bibione to Buja.
The Breakaway
The RONCADE–Caorle stage (156 km) featured a profile perfectly suited to a bunch sprint. The climb of Cà del Poggio, the first classified ascent of this year’s Corsa Rosa, was placed midway through the stage, but it came too far from the finish to allow any attacker to make a decisive move. Even so, three riders animated the race from the opening hour: Eleonora La Bella (Aromitalia Vaiano), Elisa De Vallier (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) and Sara Luccon (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo). Behind them, a second trio formed, featuring Giorgia Serena (Team Mendelspeck E-Work), Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL) and Fariba Hashimi (Vini Fantini–BePink). Their advantage grew to more than six minutes, but the race dynamics changed once the riders reached the slopes of Cà del Poggio.
