Wheel Talk Newsletter: Sorry, we're at the Giro!

by Abby Mickey Jun 2, 2026 More from
Abby Mickey +

The Wheel Talk newsletter will be trimmed down this week. With the Giro on, all my attention is on the race, and I hope yours is too!

Contenders preview: The most hotly contested Giro the pink jersey has seen in years

Reigning champion Longo Borghini faces Vollering, Van der Breggen, Reusser, Bunel, Holmgren ... the list goes on.

Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey

First things first: ICYMI

The Giro d'Italia so far:

Stage 1 of the Giro seemed pretty standard. There wasn't a whole lot to talk about post-stage, other than the dangerous circuit and the continued sprint dominance of Lorena Wiebes... until there was a whole lot to talk about.

Updated: Lorena Wiebes sprints to victory in first stage of Giro d’Italia Women – later disqualified

Wiebes bested Elisa Balsamo to win stage 1 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia.

Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey

Wiebes disqualified from Giro d’Italia for underweight bike after winning stage 1

The UCI disqualified the Dutch champion from the race for bike weight violations.

Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey

She may have been awarded the pink jersey because of the disqualification, but throughout stages 2 and 3, Elisa Balsamo proved she was worthy of the honour.

Balsamo wins Giro d’Italia stage 2 in pink

The Italian Lidl-Trek rider sprinted to victory ahead of Lara Gillespie and Chiara Consonni.

Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey