2026 Giro d'Italia Women Stage 3 Results & Recap
Stage 3 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 Boosts Lead in GC after Notching Another Win
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) continued her winning streak at the Giro d'Italia Women, claiming Stage 3 in Buja after a thrilling day of attacks, crashes and late drama on the rolling 156-kilometer route from Bibione. The Italian sprinter powered to her second consecutive stage victory, outsprinting Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Femke Gerritse (Team SD Worx-Protime) after a late solo attack from Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) was reeled in inside the final kilometers.
A six-rider breakaway formed almost immediately after the start, with Cristina Tonetti (Laboral Kutxa-FundaciĂłn Euskadi), Alison Jackson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93), Eleonora Deotto (Team Mendelspeck E-Work), Barbara Guarischi (Team SD Worx-Protime), Nienke Veenhoven (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Marta Pavesi (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) building an advantage of more than three minutes over the peloton.
The break animated much of the stage, with Tonetti taking maximum points at the intermediate sprint in Villa Manin di Passariano ahead of Pavesi, while Jackson later claimed the maximum points atop the day's first categorized climb. Behind them, Lidl-Trek controlled the pace as the race gradually shifted toward the hillier finale around Buja.
As the peloton approached the decisive climbs, the breakaway began to splinter. Tonetti, Jackson and Pavesi pressed on after distancing their fellow escapees, but the increased pace from the bunch steadily reduced their advantage. With just under 26 kilometers remaining, the final survivors of the break were caught before the ascent of Montenars.
The race then exploded on the steep slopes. Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) launched a powerful attack that split the peloton and created a select lead group featuring Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team), Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx-Protime), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) and Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek). The acceleration briefly dropped race leader Balsamo, placing the maglia rosa under serious threat.
Van der Breggen surged over the summit first to secure enough points to take control of the mountains classification, while the elite group attempted to press its advantage. However, the collection of general classification contenders struggled to find cooperation on the descent and run-in to Buja, allowing many riders to claw their way back into contention.
Inside the final five kilometers, Haugset launched a bold solo move and quickly opened a gap on the hesitant peloton. The Uno-X Mobility rider held a slender advantage as she entered the final kilometers and looked poised to pull off an upset. But the sprinters' teams finally organized the chase and gradually closed the gap.
Haugset's brave effort ended within sight of the finish as the peloton swept past in the final kilometer. Once the catch was made, Balsamo delivered another perfectly timed sprint, surging clear to claim her second stage victory of the race. Williams finished second, Gerritse took third and Longo Borghini crossed the line in fourth.
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