With the much of the cycling world suffering from Tour de France inspired yellow fever, it’s easy to forget there are other races going on, but in Italy the women’s peloton are about to start one of the most important weeks of the year.
The eight stage race begins tomorrow (Sunday) with a flat time trial in Bergamo, finishing next Sunday in Imola, on the town’s famous race track, scene of the 2020 World Championships.
Until 2022 the Giro d’Italia Women was the race around which riders would build their season. Varying between eight and 10 days, it was the closest thing the women’s bunch had to a grand tour, though it was invariably lost in the noise coming across the French border. This, though, will be the final edition competing with the men’s Tour de France, the UCI recently announcing a shift in its position on the calendar to early June, allowing it finally emerge, blinking into the public consciousness.
The trouble for the Giro is its status as the most coveted event has already been lost to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which appeared in 2022 to much acclaim.
However, this 2025 edition, the second under the management of men’s Giro organiser, RCS, is sure to be a fascinating battle, with defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) set to clash with old foe Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), the latter a four time GC winner.
The Route
It’s hard to avoid climbing in Italy, and this year race organisers have not really tried, with three mountain top finishes in the eight stages, the first of those coming on day two. There’s only one real flat stage, but there could be other opportunities for the fast women, with Van der Breggen’s team mate, Dutch champion Lorena Wiebes, certain to be eyeing a fourth stage win in her third participation. However, look out for Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) who’ll be hoping to add to her record 32 stage wins.
Stage One: Bergamo – Bergamo, 14.2 Individual Time Trial
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
The Giro has opened with a time trial of some sort each year since 2014 and there is no change. This year, rather than a short prologue or a team time trial, it’s a pure race across the clock. While no TT is easy, the flat, 14.2km parcours is far from challenging. It does, though, create time gaps, however small, as the race heads for the hills.
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All the main GC favourites will go well here, though maybe Reusser will edge it.
Stage Two: Clusone – Aprica, 92km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
Stage two takes the race north, and into the Alps for the race’s first mountain top finish. The route is fairly straightforward, with a long descent and a short dig in the middle.
While 12.7km at 3.8% may not generally make for the toughest of final climbs, there are plenty of challenging ramps on the way to Aprica which will encourage attacks. One for the punchy climbers or versatile sprinters, we think.
Stage Three: Vezza d’Oglio – Trento, 122km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
Despite the rather threatening looking profile, this should be a fairly straightforward day. The route starts with the Passo del Tonale, which, at 8.4km at an average gradient of 6.2%, is a rude enough awakening for anyone, however, it’s almost all downhill from thereon in, so a sprint could be on the cards.
Most likely a bunch sprint, though don’t be surprised if the breakaway prevails.
Stage Four: Castello Tesino – Pianezze (Valdobbiadene), 142km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
If the GC hasn’t taken shape already, it will have done by the end of day four, the race’s halfway point.
The day’s eye-watering 2,700m of vertical ascent comprises one third and two fourth category climbs, including the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, ridden during stage 15 of the men’s race in May, but it’s first category final climb to Pianezze which will define the day.
At 10.8km with average of 7.5% those women who will contest for the final maglia rosa next Sunday will need to stake their claim.
Stage Five: Mirano – Monselice, 120km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
At last a nailed on opportunity for the sprinters. Probably. Lorena Wiebes is doubtless the world’s best sprinter and if her SD Worx-Protime squad are riding high on GC they may not commit to bring any breakaway to heel, and if other teams lean on the Dutch squad to do the work, they may shrug their shoulders and let the break have the day.
We expect Wiebes, the European champion to win the day.
Stage Six: Bellaria Igea Marina – Terre Roveresche, 145km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
Possibly the perfect day for a breakaway victory. Starting on the coast and heading inland, it’s a lumpy old day, with another 2,350m climbing on the cards and a nasty final, which might possibly draw the GC riders out to play, especially if they feel they need more time ahead of the following day’s queen stage.
The break will take it.
Stage Seven: Fermignano – Monte Nerone, 150km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
A big day in every possible way. Not only is this the longest stage of the eight, with 3,850m of vertical ascent it also has the most climbing. And as such, it’s certain to go a long way to deciding the general classification.
The early intermediate sprint is even on the top of a hill here, and there are three more classified climbs on a 360º loop around the base of the mountain, before the final ascent of almost 15km at 6.6% average.
Whoever wins here may well be taking the maglia rosa home at the end of the week.
Stage Eight: Forlì – Imola, 134km
(Image credit: RCS/Giro d’Italia Women)
The final day is no walk in the park, and if the time differences are tight it may well decide the race. After a short lead in three laps of a lumpy circuit await. The race closes with a lap of the famous Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where Anna van der Breggen’s won both road and time rainbow jerseys in the Covid World Championships of 2020.
A solo win from the overall winner, or a sprint from a small group.
The Contenders
In recent years, and more so this season, the depth of the peloton has increased massively, the talent spread wider, allowing more teams to win big races. That said, we may take a step back in time if Anna van der Breggen wins a fifth Giro.
The Dutch woman has come out of retirement after three seasons as a sports director at SD Worx-Protime who, until now, have avoided racing their Tour de France leaders in Italy. They’ve turned that on its head for 2025, and the Dutch woman will be joined by world champion, Lotte Kopecky, the latter ostensibly gaining form for the French race.
Kopecky finished second last year, a performance which persuaded the team she could compete in the mountains, and her presence creates a real threat to the other favourites, despite Van der Breggen yet to show the form of her earlier career.
They’ll face a strongest challenge from two women, defending champion Elisa Long Borghini (UAE-ADQ) and Marlen Reusser (Movistar).
A passionately patriotic Italian, on home ground Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE-ADQ) always seems to lift herself, and takes the short hop from home to Bergamo on the back of perfect preparation, winning a third national title on a tough hilly course in searing temperatures. The Italian has been flying in recent years, converting the chances she habitually creates with far more regularity than earlier in her career.
Last year’s win was no fluke, though it was tight, her overall margin just 21 seconds ahead of Kopecky, though this year she leads a team more focused on supporting her. Barring the unforeseen she’ll be up there this time round.
After an injury and illness marred 2024, Reusser has been a revelation after she moved from SD Worx over the winter. She had a good, though not spectacular start to the year, but it was at the Vuelta where she really impressed. There, on the two mountain top finishes she beat Van der Breggen both times, finishing second behind another former SD Worx rider, Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ), who will not be in Italy.
Last month’s Tour de Suisse was arguably her biggest win to date, laying down a huge marker by beating Vollering to the GC, first out-sprinting the Dutch woman in a two up kick, before riding her off the wheel on the climbs of the final stage.
In the absence of their Tour leader, Vollering, FDJ-SUEZ will be led by French woman Juliette Labous, who, in turn, is supported by an incredibly strong team. Labous occasionally suffers in high temperatures, so this may stand against her, but she knows how to win at the Giro with a mountain stage victory in 2022 and second place overall the year after.
Fenix-Deceuninck could well find the podium with Pauliena Rooijakkers. The Dutch rider was fourth last year before making the podium in France, but, other than fourth at Lagunas de Neila during this year’s Vuelta, she’s shown little pre-race form, and has raced only once since mid-May.
Marta Cavalli (Picnic-PostNL) will need a huge change of fortune to replicate her second place behind Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022, despite having a strong group of young climbers behind her.
Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-Alula-Jayco) has come from almost nowhere to the top of the sport in the past two years, usurping Mavi Garcìa as the most likely to win in the mountains on the Australian team. Though she will be there towards the end of the toughest stages, a podium finish would be a huge breakthrough for the Italian. The same can be said of Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Oatly), the New Zealander is a strong climber but only has a handful of race days this year.
