The stage 4 uphill time trial at the Giro d'Italia was going to shake up the general classification, and shake it up it did. Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx-Protime stormed to victory by over a minute, and took the pink jersey from Elisa Balsamo who won the first three stages.
The ITT world champion Marlen Reusser (Movistar) finished second to her former teammate, one minute and four seconds down. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), another former teammate of Van der Breggen, finished third, 1:10 down.
Balsamo, the overall leader going into the stage, finished 123rd on the stage, 9:14 behind Van der Breggen, but the Italian will not be concerned about losing the jersey. She will maintain the points classification and shift her focus to stage 6, another one that suits her.
The fifth stage is likely to be another GC day, with a series of difficult climbs on the parcours.
[race_result id=9064 stage_id=90177 count=5 gc=0 year=2026]
[race_result id=9064 stage_id=90177 count=5 gc=5 year=2026]
How it happened
- With a 7.2 km climb coming 5.5 km into the 12.7 km time trial, one of the big questions was what bike setups the riders would opt for. Reusser rode a full road bike setup, whereas Niamh Fisher-Black and Isabella Holmgren chose road bikes with extensions. Vollering and Van der Breggen were two of the riders who went for a full ITT setup. Pan American ITT champion Kristen Faulkner of EF Education-Oatly rode her ITT bike for the first 5 km, then swapped to her road bike for the climb.
- Faulkner would cross the line in fifth, with a significant number of riders still to come.
- Reusser was the first of the top contenders to roll off the start ramp.
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