Giro d'Italia Women 2026 GC After Stage 4 — Van der Breggen Holds A Commanding 1:04 Over Reusser As The Sprinters Slide Down The Order
The Stage 4 mountain time trial to Nevegal transformed the Giro d'Italia Women general classification from a sprinters' formality into a genuine GC battle with a clear leader. Anna van der Breggen now sits atop the standings in the maglia rosa, having ridden away from the entire field on the 12.7km uphill test out of Belluno to build a buffer over a minute on her nearest challenger.
Behind the new race leader, the order reads like a who's who of the world's best time triallists and climbers. Marlen Reusser, the world champion against the watch, holds second at 1:04, with pre-race favourite Demi Vollering a further six seconds back in third at 1:10. The fact that two riders of that calibre are already a minute or more in arrears speaks to the scale of Van der Breggen's ride.
Antonia Niedermaier of Canyon-SRAM climbed to fourth at 1:26, with Monica Trinca Colonel of Liv AlUla Jayco fifth at 1:31. The battle for the lower top-ten places is desperately tight, with Lauren Dickson of FDJ United-Suez and Femke de Vries of Visma-Lease a Bike separated by a single second in sixth and seventh, at 1:38 and 1:39.
The most dramatic movement came at the top of the table rather than the bottom. Elisa Balsamo, who had led the race since Stage 1 and won the first three stages, dropped out of GC contention entirely, conceding more than nine minutes on a climb that was never going to flatter a pure sprinter. Her week in pink ends, but her three stage wins ensure the opening phase will be remembered as hers.
General Classification After Stage 4
- Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) — leader
- Marlen Reusser (Movistar) — +1:04
- Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) — +1:10
- Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) — +1:26
- Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco) — +1:31
- Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-Suez) — +1:38
- Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike) — +1:39
With more than half the race still to run, including the Alpine showdown at Sestriere, the time gaps are far from decisive. Reusser and Vollering retain the firepower to attack on the longer climbs, where a 13km time trial advantage can be eroded across a full mountain stage. But they now face the hardest task in stage racing: dislodging a rider of Van der Breggen's pedigree from a leader's jersey she has worn so often before.
For Van der Breggen, the challenge shifts from building a lead to defending one. SD Worx-Protime have the strongest collective squad in the race and will look to control the mountain stages, marking moves and protecting their leader's advantage all the way to the finish. On current evidence, the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women is hers to lose.