The reigning European champion, Demi Vollering (FDJ United – SUEZ), won the 2016 Giro d’Italia Femminile title after snatching the race lead from her compatriot Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx – Protime) on the final stage.
The Dutch rider was joined on the podium by Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier (CANYON//SRAM) and her compatriot Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx – Protime), who finished in second and third place, respectively.
Demi Vollering declared that “today was about daring to lose,” after winning the Giro d’Italia Femminile on the ninth and final stage, a 145-kilometer ride, with an attack that left Anna van der Breggen behind on the final climb.
“It’s crazy, I can’t describe this. It feels unreal. Today was about daring to lose, and I was able to do it,” she declared in the post-stage interview with the race organizers’ media.
The reigning European champion adds her first pink jersey to a palmarès that already boasts a Tour de France and two Vuelta a España victories. This season, she had already won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Omloop Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The winner explained how she experienced the stage: “We made this plan last night at dinner. We joked about preparing for a day that was going to be long and hard for us. My teammates set a great pace on the first climb; Lauren [Dickson] was fantastic today. I let Antonia [Niedermaier] go [on the descent].”
“I told Anna [van der Breggen] that I didn’t care about finishing second or third, that it was up to her to work. I went all out on the final climb; I had to ride the time trial of my life, but there was still a long way to go. I can’t believe it,” she concluded, regarding the final attack, after staying with her rival for the overall classification in the chase group behind Niedermaier, Longo Borghini, and Fisher-Black.
Van der Breggen had earlier given her perspective on that attempt to chase down Niedermaier: “I can’t follow every attack. It was working well if we worked together, but Demi [Vollering] wasn’t pulling, and she attacked. I tried to follow her, but I wasn’t strong enough. If I work and Demi [Vollering] doesn’t, obviously I’m not going to win, because I’m worse on the climb.”
Regarding the riders from the Americas, Brazilian Ana Vitória Magalhães (Movistar Team) finished in 33rd place, while Cuban Arlenis Sierra (Movistar Team) finished in 72nd.
As for the final 145-kilometer stage, held around the city of Saluzzo in the Piedmont region, it was won by Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ). The Italian cyclist defeated New Zealander Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl Trek).
Giro d’Italia Women (2.WWT)
Results Stage 9 | Saluzzo – Saluzzo (145 km)
| 1 | Elisa Longo Borghini | UAE Team ADQ | 3:45:09 |
| 2 | Niamh Fisher-Black | Lidl-Trek | m.t. |
| 3 | Antonia Niedermaier | CANYON//SRAM | 0:02 |
| 4 | Demi Vollering | FDJ United-SUEZ | 0:03 |
| 5 | Femke de Vries | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 2:23 |
| 6 | Anna van der Breggen | Team SD Worx-Protime | 2:23 |
| 7 | Ytterhus Haugset Sigrid | Uno-X Mobility | 5:59 |
| 8 | Lauren Dickson | FDJ United-SUEZ | 5:59 |
| 9 | Isabella Holmgren | Lidl-Trek | 6:01 |
| 10 | MagdeleineVallieres | EF Education-Oatly | 6:01 |
Ranking General Final
| 1 | Demi Vollering | FDJ United-SUEZ | 29:54:19 |
| 2 | Antonia Niedermaier | CANYON//SRAM | 0:30 |
| 3 | Anna van der Breggen | Team SD Worx-Protime | 1:37 |
| 4 | Elisa Longo Borghini | UAE Team ADQ | 2:44 |
| 5 | Niamh Fisher-Black | Lidl-Trek | 3:26 |
| 6 | Femke de Vries | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 5:07 |
| 7 | Isabella Holmgren | Lidl-Trek | 7:10 |
| 8 | Urska Zigart | AG Insurance-Soudal Team | 12:39 |
| 9 | Valentina Cavallar | Team SD Worx-Protime | 13:12 |
| 10 | Lore De Schepper | AG Insurance-Soudal Team | 13:29 |
Source: Mundo Deportivo