2026 Giro d'Italia Women Stage 2 Results & Recap
Stage 2 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Balsamo Blasts Off in Caorle
Elisa Balsamo powered to victory in Stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia Women on Sunday, winning a fast and chaotic bunch sprint in Caorle after a long day controlled by a determined breakaway and a peloton packed with sprinting ambitions.
The Lidl-Trek rider proved strongest in the final dash to the line, taking the win ahead of Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) and Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto) after 156 kilometers of racing from Roncade to the Adriatic coast. The victory came just hours after the race was turned on its head by the disqualification of Stage 1 winner Lorena Wiebes, whose bicycle was found to be below the UCI's minimum weight requirement.
With Wiebes removed from the equation, the stage became one of the most open sprint opportunities of the race, though three riders were determined to spoil the plans of the peloton. Elisa De Vallier (TOP), Sara Luccon (TOP) and Eleonora La Bella (VAI) attacked early and built an advantage that stretched beyond six minutes as the bunch settled into a steady chase. At one point, De Vallier even moved into the virtual race lead.
The breakaway's hopes received another boost on the day's lone categorized climb, the steep Muro di Ca' del Poggio. La Bella crested the summit first to secure maximum Queen of the Mountain points and strengthen her grip on the mountains classification, while the peloton gradually began to increase the pressure behind.
Despite temperatures approaching 29 degrees Celsius and humid conditions throughout northern Italy, the sprinters' teams remained patient. Movistar, Liv-AlUla-Jayco, EF Education-Oatly and others spent much of the afternoon managing the gap as the flat run toward Caorle made a bunch finish increasingly inevitable.
The decisive moment came inside the final 12 kilometers when the peloton finally swallowed the last remnants of the breakaway. From there, the pace intensified dramatically. Teams fought for every position on the wide roads leading into town, with FDJ-Suez, Human Powered Health, Movistar and Lidl-Trek all moving to the front as speeds climbed toward the finish.
UAE Team ADQ once again looked dangerous in the finale, with Elisa Longo Borghini delivering a strong lead-out for Gillespie. But Lidl-Trek timed their effort perfectly. Balsamo emerged from the final kilometer with teammates guiding her into position before unleashing a powerful sprint that none of her rivals could match.
Balsamo crossed the line in 3:57:49, collecting the stage victory and 10 bonus seconds. Gillespie finished second and earned six bonus seconds, while Consonni claimed third and four bonus seconds. Charlotte Kool and Barbara Guarischi rounded out the top five on another day decided by mere centimeters at the finish line.
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