Lorena Wiebes was ejected from the Giro d'Italia after winning stage 1 on Saturday, and the pink jersey was handed over to the runner-up Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), but on Sunday, Balsamo proved herself by winning the second stage of the week-long stage race.
Decked head to toe in pink, Balsamo out-sprinted Lara Gillespie of UAE Team ADQ and Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) on the streets of Caorle. By winning the stage, Balsamo also extended her lead in the overall classification.
Going into the third stage on Monday, Balsamo leads the race by 8 seconds over Gillespie and 12 seconds over Consonni.
[race_result id=9064 stage_id=90175 count=5 gc=0 year=2026]
[race_result id=9064 stage_id=90175 count=5 gc=5 year=2026]
How it happened
- The only thing people could talk about at the start line of stage 2 was the disqualification of Lorena Wiebes, after she won the opening stage on Saturday. Elisa Balsamo, who was awarded the opening stage victory, was decked out in a full pink speed suit, with matching gloves, helmet, and glasses.
Abby Mickey
- Early on in stage 2, another group of three Italians broke away from the peloton, leaving it to the sprinters' teams to control the peloton. This time, it was two riders from Top Girls Fassa Bortolo and one from Aromitalia Vaiano. They hovered around a minute in front of the peloton, but it was clear early on that the stage would likely end in a bunch gallop.
- The heat was a constant factor for the riders throughout the stage. Temperatures were only 27°C (80°F), but with no wind and little cover, it felt a lot hotter out there for the peloton. Domestiques frequently could be seen riding to the cars to grab ice socks and bottles for their teammates.
- The breakaway was caught within the final 13 km, as full teams made their way to the front of the bunch.
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